If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually abused, you don’t have to manage alone.
That’s the message from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), where staff and volunteers work tirelessly to keep the National 24-Hour Helpline operational 365 days a year to offer support to victims of abuse.
Hopefully you will never need these services, but it’s important to be aware of them and know that this support exists for every woman and man.
National 24-Hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88
Telephone counsellors are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, to listen, provide information and set up counselling appointments if desired. The Helpline is available to people who have experienced rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment or childhood sexual abuse. It is also available to those supporting victims – family, friends and professionals. There are 15 other Rape Crisis Centres around the country. Contact and referral information for your nearest centre is provided by the Helpline and is available on the DRCC website.
Counselling
The DRCC has a dedicated group of professional psychotherapists committed to the recovery of victims of sexual violence and abuse. The aim is to provide an empathic, non-judgemental counselling service, to help female and male victims cope with and recover from the trauma of rape, childhood sexual abuse and sexual harassment. In addition to the Centre in Leeson Street, there are outreach services in Coolock and Tallaght. All face to face counselling is by appointment only, and appointments are arranged by contacting the Helpline on 1800 77 88 88. Counselling for clients who do not speak English is provided through interpreters. For deaf clients, sign language interpreters will be made available.
Accompaniment to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU)
The DRCC has a dedicated group of trained volunteers who are available to offer support and information to women and men who are attending the SATU Unit in the Rotunda Hospital. This support service is also offered to families and friends accompanying those attending the unit. There are also SATU units based in Cork, Galway, Letterkenny, Mullingar and Waterford. Local Rape Crisis Centres provide accompaniment at these units.
Court Accompaniment
Trained volunteers are available to accompany those attending court and other similar proceedings e.g. asylum hearings. They can also accompany those wishing to make a statement to the Gardai.
Outreach Awareness Programme
Experienced volunteers are available to speak to schools and community groups in order to highlight awareness of sexual violence and inform the public about the services offered by the DRCC. Similar outreach programmes are provided by other Rape Crisis Centres.
Training
The DRCC’s Education and Training Department provides a wide range of training programmes for professionals and volunteers who encounter issues of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse in the course of their work.
Training programmes are also available for individuals and organisations on preventing and dealing with bullying, harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace. Training programmes are provided for staff, managers, HR personnel, and those in the role of Support Contact Person.
The BodyRight training programme is a prevention and awareness programme for use in schools and other educational and youth work settings. Training is provided to teachers, guidance counsellors, youth workers and others who wish to use this programme with young people.
Campaigns
The DRCC campaigns for a more victim supportive legal system, lobbies for Children’s Rights and improved child protection systems.
The DRCC is currently running a National Awareness Raising Campaign with the support of funding from Cosc (The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence) displaying the National 24-Hour Helpline number 1800 77 88 88 as well as the helpline numbers for the 15 other Rape Crisis Centres.
