RapeCrisis Ireland

08/10/2026

Budget 2027 includes an extra €5.3 million for domestic, s*xual and gender-based violence, bringing the total to €84.4 million.

We welcome the increase but we mustn't forget that the historically low levels of funding to address means we have yet to reach a minimum baseline. To date, much of the increased funding has gone towards the critical task of building refuge spaces. Other aspects of DSGBV prevention and response have yet to see significant increases on capacity and impact.

The number of survivors accessing R**e Crisis Centres is continuously growing. Our statistics saw a growth of 15.4% in 2025 alone.

Increased capacity must be secured so that **eCrisis Centres can continue to support survivors of *xualViolence and so that we can work towards a society.

We were clear on our recommendations to Government based on our 2025 statistics:

🔹 Core funding for R**e Crisis Centres that is increased and sustained in line with cumulative demand over time, not set by annual changes alone

🔹 Dedicated funding for outreach, collaboration and research, so services are inclusive and accessible to every survivor

🔹 Real investment in prevention, including education in schools and communities, public awareness campaigns, and a public health approach to po*******hy

🔹 Better data, including regular national prevalence measurement, so policy is built on evidence

See our full list of recommendations >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/advocacy/policy-campaigns/

We look forward to working with Minister Jim O'Callaghan TD, the Department of Justice Ireland, Cuan, DSGBV Agency and colleagues across the sector to make sure the increased funding reaches the frontline quickly and delivers real change.

Every woman, child and man affected by *xualViolence and deserves to be safe, supported and believed.

08/10/2026

We're pleased to be attending the launch of the 'Voice of the Child Report Guidelines and Templates' at the Department of Justice Ireland.

These guidelines aim to improve children's experience of having their voice heard in family law proceedings. They also promote consistent, ethical and sound practice in preparing Voice of the Child Reports, and they help the court understand the child's views when determining their best interests.

For children and families who have experienced violence or abuse, being heard safely and with care matters enormously. Clear, trauma-informed practice from everyone involved in the process can make a real difference.

We are glad to see these guidelines published and look forward to seeing them put into practice.

Learn more >> www.gov.ie/justice

07/10/2026

Consent is revocable, specific to each partner, and given on each occasion. So why is evidence of prior s*xual activity between a complainant and a defendant so often treated as admissible to provide context?

This is one of the findings in Dr Sinéad Ring's research for R**e Crisis Ireland, reported in the Law Society of Ireland Gazette.

In her report - 'What's S*x Got To Do With It? S*xual Evidence in Irish R**e Trials' - Dr Ring found that in cases involving adult complainants in relationships with defendants, such evidence was almost always described by lawyers as admissible for context, a practice that risks implying that consent is irrevocable. She describes this as surprising given how the law now defines consent.

The report recommends that Section 3 of the Criminal Law (R**e) Act 1981 be repealed and replaced, and that the new provision make clear context alone is not enough. R**e Crisis Ireland endorses this recommendation and will be advocating for it with policymakers.

Read the Gazette article >> https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2026/october/r**e-shield-law-failing-to-protect-complainants/

**eShield **eCrisisIreland *xualViolence

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06/10/2026

Thank you to Ciara Mangan and everyone at Beyond Surviving for this powerful response to Dr Sinéad Ring's research launched at our symposium last week.

Survivors telling Ciara they often feel powerless to protect their dignity in court is exactly why Dr Ring's report matters. Her point that applications made on the first day of trial leave survivors with no time to understand, prepare or get support is a stark reminder of what is at stake in how this law operates.

R**eCrisis Ireland endorses Dr Ring's recommendations and will be advocating for reform with policymakers. 👇

https://beyondsurviving.ie/s*xual-history-applications-on-the-first-day-of-trial-are-a-major-barrier-to-access-to-justice/

*xualViolence

Beyond Surviving founder Ciara Mangan spoke to Mayo News after the publication of independent research by Dr Sinéad Ring (Maynooth University), supported by R**e Crisis Ireland, on how section 3 of the Criminal Law (R**e) Act 1981 is used in Irish s*xual offence trials. The report found that 39% of...

05/10/2026

Children and young people in care are among those most likely to face applications to introduce evidence about their s*xual history in s*xual offence trials, despite laws designed to prevent exactly that.

This is the focus of a Spotlight piece by Ann Murphy in today's Irish Examiner, drawing on Dr Sinéad Ring's research for R**e Crisis Ireland, "What's S*x Got to Do with It? S*xual Experience Evidence in Irish R**e Trials".

The report found such applications were made in at least 39% of s*xual offence trials last year. It also found that young people who have had contact with the care system are more likely to face them simply because more records exist about them, and that those records can be used to draw on stereotypes about care-experienced complainants.

As Dr Ring tells the Examiner: “We can change this – we can reform the law and it is solvable. We can make huge progress by tightening up the law and discussing what relevance is in this context.”

R**eCrisis Ireland endorses Dr Ring's recommendations, including replacing Section 3 of the Criminal Law (R**e) Act 1981 with a more tightly defined provision, and mandatory written reasons for decisions on these applications.

We will continue to advocate for these reforms with policymakers.

Read the full article >> https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41919085.html

**eShield **eCrisisIreland *xualViolence

Children in care are among those most likely to face applications seeking to introduce evidence about their s*xual history in s*x offence trials, despite laws designed to prevent such questioning

03/10/2026

"Government should act on Ring's recommendation for replacement legislation, with clear limits on admissibility, effective representation for complainants, and transparent monitoring of decisions."

This is the Irish Examiner's editorial view, published yesterday following our launch of Dr Sinéad Ring's research on s*xual experience evidence in Irish r**e trials.

We are pleased the editor has picked up on this important issue. The editorial is clear that a law must be judged by what happens when someone enters a courtroom, and it also highlights the need for better data on how applications to introduce s*xual experience evidence are decided.

R**eCrisis Ireland endorses Dr Ring's recommendations, and we will be advocating for them with policymakers.

Survivors deserve a law that delivers on its promise.

Read the Irish Examiner editorial >> https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/ourview/arid-41918608.html

**eShield **eCrisisIreland *xualViolence

The State must ensure that complainants in s*xual offence trials are protected, and should enact recommendations to replace legislation aimed at doing so

02/10/2026

"Real r**e." "The lying complainant."

Dr Sinéad Ring's research launched at our symposium yesterday finds that evidence of a complainant's other s*xual experiences is being used in certain trials to draw on exactly these ideas, casting complainants as suspicious and outside the category of a legitimate victim.

In her op-ed in today's Irish Examiner, Dr Ring explains what her interviews with 21 experts, including practising lawyers, revealed about how the **eShield operates in Irish courtrooms. That includes how s*xual experience evidence is argued in cases involving teenagers, and the risks facing adults who have used dating apps or who were in a relationship with the defendant.

The report recommends clarifying when this evidence can be admitted. It also recommends a specialist panel of barristers to represent complainants, with at least two years' experience of s*xual offence cases and regular professional development.

Read the op-ed >> https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41918311.html

Read the full report on our website >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/research/publications/

**eCrisisIreland *xualViolence

The law that prevents irrelevant, intrusive, and distressing questioning about prior s*xual experiences is not working properly, according to a new report, writes Sinéad Ring

01/10/2026

"Complainants are still being asked about their s*xual history in ways that rely on outdated and discredited assumptions about what a real r**e victim looks like." – Dr Sinéad Ring of the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University.

39% of s*xual offence trials last year involved an application to admit s*xual experience evidence. That is the finding of Dr Sinéad Ring's new report, supported by R**eCrisis Ireland and featured in the national papers today.

Read the coverage:

The Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2026/10/01/law-to-prevent-questioning-of-r**e-victims-in-court-on-s*xual-history-is-not-working/

Irish Independent: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/calls-to-strengthen-r**e-shield-law-amid-surprisingly-high-number-of-applications-to-examine-s*xual-history-of-complainants/a/162360320.html

Irish Examiner: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41917954.html

Read the report >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/research/publications/

With thanks to Research Ireland and the School of Law and Criminology Maynooth University for making this ground-breaking research possible.

**eCrisisIreland *xualViolence

Study also reveals defence bids to cross-examine complainants over social media use, including dating apps

30/09/2026

R**e Crisis Ireland is attending the EU Commission’s high level roundtable on Equality Data representing WAVE Network in Brussels this week.

It's great to connect and share with Mariana Kotzeva, Director General of Eurostat, Jennifer Banim, Director General of the Central Statistics Office Ireland, and colleagues from across Europe, working towards an EU Commission Recommendation on .

A really promising step forward ensuring good data is the foundation for understanding *xualViolence, and for building services and policy responses that reflect all survivors' diverse and intersecting realities.

*xualViolence

23/09/2026

Fixed trial dates for r**e and s*xual violence cases. That's one of the reforms announced in the UK this week by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, aimed at making the court system more approachable for survivors.

Right now, cases can sit on floating lists - moved around at short notice, with no certainty about when, or if, a trial date will actually go ahead.

Our Executive Director, Dr Cliona Saidlear, says in today's Irish Examiner that delay is exactly the issue here in Ireland too.

A fixed date would mean survivors could plan their lives around it, instead of being left in indefinite limbo waiting for the next notification.

Ireland should be exploring whether the same reform could work here.

You can read the article at this link >> https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41914693.html

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It follows changes recently announced in Britain aimed at making the court system more approachable for victims of r**e and s*xually violent crimes