This morning.
At the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in Dublin.
Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald (above right) with Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre launching the centre’s annual report 2014/2015.
The report reveals an increase of 30% in first time callers to the helpline.
And yet the minister’s visit comes amid a decision by Tusla, the state’s child and family agency, to end funding for the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI).
A move which has cut the annual budget of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre by €300,000, around 30% of its budget.
Good times.
(Leah Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
Previously: Mercille on Monday: When Misogny Is A Policy
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300K is not a huge amount for what they do. could the Dept of Justice not pony up the dough?
“Following a review of the RCNI database, the conclusion was reached that it does not meet Tusla requirements into the future as RCNI did not produce a comprehensive dataset from all sexual violence support services. Data from the two largest services, Dublin and Cork, was not included in the dataset.”
if funding was secured on the condition this information was provided, then why wasn’t it?
As perhaps the service is anonymous. People when they ring a service like that look for two things a) Practical advice as to what they should do next (contact Gardai, keep evidence etc) and secondly b) They want emotional support. Asking them for info so that stats can be collated would be the least of their worries. I think they could just cut Irish language funding and give it to RCI.
Or here’s a radical thought. Raise taxes to pay for all of the services people demand.
+100000
You could almost certainly gather all (or some) of the data required without asking a bunch of statistical questions. And fundamentally, having data about these kind of things is important to tackle them from a public policy PoV. You can’t fix things you don’t know anything about.
Producing stats about the utility, and effectiveness of services seems a perfectly reasonable requirement for anyone taking state money.
Not if people won’t answer you can’t. Yes, it is important but as rape is massively under-reported, your data, even if it was the best, is still going to be wrong. Determining the effectiveness of services is different but again, that’s tricky to do and hey, guess what? You need a lot of money to do good research.
Rape being massively under reported is something you know *because you have data*. Rape crisis centres, which are aimed primarily at providing people with support, are the place you’re likely to get by far the best data. And if the RCNI is not turning out data for the two most populous areas in the country, then there’s no way of *anyone* doing research.
“Rape crisis centres, which are aimed primarily at providing people with support, are the place you’re likely to get by far the best data”
Not if people do’t go there, which was my point. Its one of the places. I doubt the RCNI are the only ones in the whole of Ireland who research rape and sexual assault.
How can you know rape is “massively under-reported”? How can you possibly know that with statistics?
If you are looking for taxpayers’ money then you need to be able to justify it.
i’d have thought that rcni could use garda figures for reported rapes, no?
By using methods other than reported rapes Paolo. Google it
Could they not have worked with them to resolve that issue?
RCNI collect the data for their own report so they obviously have a methodology in collating it.
Seems a trivial reason to withdraw support.
from the rcni site:
As the representative body for member RCCs, the RCNI role includes the development and coordination of national projects including expert data collection, supporting Rape Crisis Centres to reach best practice standards, and using our expertise to influence national policy and social change.
tusla cut their funding because they don’t provide a direct service to victims, they are more of an oversight and best practice provider to their members and data collection and research seems to be at the core of what they do.
Why Irish language?
Fluffy.
Its one of the least important causes in my book that deserves money at the moment…
What a base response. Punish one group to please another. Equality mehole.
Are you telling me Irish speakers are more deserving of funds than victims of rape? What a twisted little world you live in…
Ireland doesnt treat its women very well , does it
Ireland doesnt care if you have been raped.
Ireland doesnt care if you need an abortion
+1
Think of every major health, religious scandal in this country and attitudes to women, sex and reproduction are at the hear of them all.
*heart of them
Facepalm
Don’t forget to double-up on poor women.
She’ll do a photo-op anywhere that one.
Shocking stats, but how many is 30%? 3, 10, 90. How many twisted men are in our midst, masquerading as mates?