The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said there has been an increase of 18% in the number of calls to its 24-hour helpline last year.
At the publication of its statistics, the Centre said it received almost 12,000 calls last year.
Figures suggest that up to 500,000 people in the Dublin Area have been affected by sexual violence.
As well as a rise in levels of sexual violence, one of the resons being offered for the increase in calls is the response to media coverage such as an RTÉ Prime Time programme about clerical sexual abuse in Dublin and the BBC's 'Suing the Pope'.
The Centre says it is encountering increasing demand in relation to young people who have suffered abuse. Almost 60% of the centre's clients are under 30 and only one third of cases are ever reported to Gardaí.
Its services are also being sought by asylum-seekers who have suffered sexual violence in their own countries before arriving in Ireland.
The centre says it cannot cope with the issues this has presented and has called for support in addressing new areas of need.
