At the Annual General Meeting of the Waterford Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre, held last week, the manager, Anne Scully, reported a 5% increase in the number of people approaching their service for the first time.
“One of the factors in this increase may have been the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports which caused great distress for many survivors of sexual abuse”, she said.
Last year was also the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Centre and the commemorative event, entitled HOPE, an exhibition of poetry, prose, photography, art and sculpture, was essentially shaped by the clients who had used the Centre’s services over the years.
“It is truly heartening to see that society has evolved to the point where survivors feel safe in giving voice to their abuse and are no longer shamed into silence”, said Ms Scully.
