Rape Crisis Ireland: 32% of Survivors Face "Compounded Barriers" to Support
Rape Crisis Ireland's 2025 report reveals 32% of survivors face «compounded barriers» like disability or ethnicity, hindering disclosure and support. Only 14% of those with multiple barriers report to authorities, compared to 33% overall. RCI urges government action for equal access to justice and culturally responsive services.
Rape Crisis Ireland (RCI) has released its 2025 report, highlighting that a significant number of rape and sexual violence survivors face «compounded barriers» to disclosure, reporting, and accessing support. These barriers include sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, legal status in Ireland, and disability.
Latest RCI statistics show 32% of survivors accessing support last year had one or more such characteristics, with 14% facing two or more. Only 14% of survivors with two or more compounded barriers reported to a formal authority, significantly lower than the 33% rate for the overall survivor population. RCI also noted that multiple perpetrators were more common among survivors facing these barriers, suggesting heightened risk for disadvantaged individuals.
Clíona Saidléar, RCI executive director, emphasized that these data deepen understanding of the experiences of LGBTQIA+ survivors, people with disabilities, and those from migrant and minority communities, whose experiences are often invisible. RCI calls for government action to ensure equal rights to support and justice, advocating for culturally responsive, inclusive, and adequately resourced services. Saidléar also proposed a «whole-of-system protocol» to create accessible disclosure routes in residential settings and connect safeguarding responses directly to specialist trauma support.