KerryRape Crisis Centre

01/09/2026

We are accepting applications for our Specialist Sexual Violence Training for Counsellors until Monday 7th September - with the course running two days a month in the Clayton Hotel, Sligo from October 2026 to June 2027.

This specialist qualification builds on generic counselling training, giving counsellors and psychotherapists the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to support people affected by .

The feedback from graduates of our 2025-2026 training has been overwhelmingly positive, with many speaking of how the course deepened their confidence and practice in working with survivors of sexual violence.

Topics include the dynamics of sexual violence, adult r**e and sexual assault, child sexual abuse, male r**e, po*******hy and perpetrators, counselling practice, body work, and intersectionality.

Rooted in the **eCrisis model - which situates sexual violence in context and treats trauma as political as much as personal - the training prepares qualified practitioners to help survivors navigate complex societal and cultural barriers in a way that empowers.

Our trainers - Vera O Leary and Ruth MacNeely - are among the most experienced practitioners in the movement in Ireland.

See our website for full details and application form >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/specialist-sexual-violence-training-for-counsellors-applications-open/

With thanks to Community Foundation Ireland for funding support to deliver this training in 2026–2027.

21/08/2026

Congratulations on your results today! You worked so hard, and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. Remember that today is just the start of an exciting new chapter."

11/08/2026

Our member R**e Crisis Centres deliver vital, often invisible work in communities across Ireland every single day.

In 2025 they supported 1,285 survivors - through helplines, appointments, and specialist, trauma-informed counselling.

They also:

✅ Responded to 15,135 helpline contacts - up 15.3% from 2024
✅ Offered 15,808 appointments to survivors seeking support
✅ Supported 544 new survivors for the first time
✅ Supported 104 supporters - family members and friends walking alongside survivors
✅ Saw 167 clients under 18 years old
✅ Supported a client base that was 87.8% female and 11.8% male - with over 50% more men and boys accessing counselling in 2025 compared to 2019
✅ Saw 20.6% more clients in 2025 than in 2018

These numbers represent survivors who reached out, often for the first time, and were met with specialist, trauma-informed support. They also reflect a service under sustained and growing demand - one that depends on continued investment to meet survivors where they are.

Every contact, every appointment, every conversation matters. We're proud to stand behind the work of our member **eCrisis Centres, and grateful to the staff and volunteers who make it possible.

Read more in our Annual Impact Report 2025 >>https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/RCI-Annual-Report-2025.pdf

11/08/2026

Our Headline Statistics for 2025 offer a -driven picture of in Ireland and the survivors accessing support.
Behind each figure is a pattern that shapes how survivors experience disclosure, support, and justice - and a case for where change is still urgently needed.

Some key findings:

✅ 15,134 helpline contacts - up 15.4% from 2024
✅ 15,807 appointments scheduled for counselling and support - up 6.9% from 2024
✅ 1,423 people engaged in counselling and support - up 7.0% from 2024
✅ 96.3% of perpetrators were men or boys
✅ 81.8% of perpetrators were known to the survivor
✅ 59.8% of survivors first experienced sexual violence in childhood, yet most did not access counselling until adulthood
✅ 54.5%+ more men and boys accessed counselling in 2025 compared to 2018
✅ 40.4% more clients were seen in 2025 than in 2018
✅ Only 40.5% of incidents were reported to Gardaí or another formal authority (34.3% when the survivor is male)
✅ 23.7% of survivors waited more than 10 years before disclosing
✅ 18.8% of survivors experienced multiple incidents of sexual violence in their lifetime
✅ 11.3% of survivors had not disclosed to a trusted person before accessing services

This data matters. It shapes how we advocate, where we direct training and resources, and how we push for a system that responds to survivors' realities - not assumptions about them.

Read our report, 'Learning From Survivors of R**e and Sexual Violence - R**e Crisis Statistics 2025' at this link >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/research/rci-r**e-crisis-statistics-2025/

**eCrisisStatistics2025

24/07/2026

🏳️‍🌈 Have your say: LGBTQ+ experiences in Ireland matter.
The CROSSROADS survey is now open, inviting LGBTQ+ adults across Ireland to share their experiences of safety, discrimination, online hostility, community support, housing, services and belonging.
Led by the Sexual Health Centre in partnership with NB Social Justice Studio, this important research will help build a clearer understanding of the impact of rising hate and intolerance towards LGBTQ+ communities and identify the changes needed to create a safer, more inclusive Ireland.
✔Anonymous and confidential
✔Open to LGBTQ+ adults (18+) living in Ireland
✔Takes 15–20 minutes to complete
✔Questions can be skipped and participants can stop at any time
🏳️‍⚧️We particularly encourage trans and gender-diverse people to take part.
Your voice can help inform future policy, services and community support.
Take the survey today: https://crossroadsstudy.typeform.com/crossroads

24/07/2026

Our **eCrisis statistics for2025 highlight something that deserves more attention: the intersection of age and disability among survivors.

26.7% of survivors whose abuse first occurred between the ages of 45 and 64 identified as having a disability - nearly three times the overall rate of 9.7% across all survivors accessing our services.

This tells us that disabled survivors in mid-to-later life face - to recognition, to disclosure, and to support that meets their needs.

R**e Crisis Centres across Ireland are committed to ensuring every survivor, at every age and of every ability, can access the support they deserve.

Find contact details for your local centre on our website >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/find-help/r**e-crisis-centres/

Read our report, 'Learning From Survivors of R**e and Sexual Violence - R**e Crisis Statistics 2025' at this link >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/research/rci-r**e-crisis-statistics-2025/

**eCrisisStatistics2025 **eCrisisHelp

24/07/2026

July marks , and it's an opportunity to highlight what our hashtag tells us about disabled survivors of .

Our **eCrisis statistics for 2025 found that 9.7% of survivors accessing our member R**e Crisis Centres identified as having a disability.

Within that group:
🔹 48% reported living with a chronic illness
🔹 25% had a physical or mobility disability
🔹 20% had a learning or intellectual disability
🔹 7% had a hearing or visual impairment

Survivors with disabilities often face to , to being believed, and to accessing services that are genuinely accessible to them. Marking Disability Pride Month means committing to close that gap - not just acknowledging it exists.

The caring and supportive staff and volunteers at R**e Crisis Centres listen, believe, and support survivors, whatever their disability or support needs.

Find contact details for your local centre on our website >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/find-help/r**e-crisis-centres/

Read our report, 'Learning From Survivors of R**e and Sexual Violence - R**e Crisis Statistics 2025' at this link >> https://www.r**ecrisisireland.ie/research/rci-r**e-crisis-statistics-2025/

**eCrisisStatistics2025 **eCrisis **eCrisisHelp

16/07/2026

Today marks a monumental day for women in Ireland.

KRSAC welcomes the enacment of Jenny's law. The Domestic Violence (Judgements) Register Bill 2026, which has become known as ‘Jennie’s Law’ will be enacted by the Oireachtas today. When enacted, the legislation will create a new publicly available register naming abusers convicted of serious violence offences.

Minister Jim O'Callaghan TD has secured completion in the Dáil and Seanad of significant reforming legislation that will strengthen protections for women and children as part of the government's efforts to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

The new legislation includes Jennie's Law which provides for a public register of judgments for those convicted of domestic violence; Valerie's Law which provides for the removal or restriction of guardianship rights from a parent convicted of killing the other parent of their child; the criminalisation of the exploitative practice of seeking ‘sex for rent’ and presumed non-disclosure of counselling notes in criminal trials.

The new laws will now go forward to President Connolly to be signed.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4gZEcTx

16/07/2026

KRSAC would like to take this opportunity to thank Kerry Co Council, Dept of Rural & Community Development & the Gaeltacht most sincerely for funding our latest project & for their continued support.

02/07/2026