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Awareness campaign to be launched for sexual violence survivors

The campaign will provide information to those seeking support (stock pic)
The campaign will provide information to those seeking support (stock pic)

An information and awareness campaign directed at victims and survivors of sexual violence is due to be launched today.

The Always Here campaign, run by statutory agency Cuan, will provide information to those seeking support.

The aim is to inform victims and survivors that they will receive help through the community and voluntary sector, State agencies or Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs).

The first national awareness-raising campaign by Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) Agency, was launched in February this year.

The latest "stream" includes a website - alwayshere.ie - which has information on national helplines for both men and women subjected to domestic and sexual violence.

There is information on supports for people under 18, older people and those with disabilities.

It also includes information about how to make a safety plan and what to expect in a criminal trial.

The initiative will be launched by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan who has stressed the importance of victims knowing "they are not alone, that there are supports available and they will be heard".

The launch coincides with the publication of an ESRI literature review that measures the prevalence of adult sexual violence in Ireland.

Lead author Dr Elish Kelly who examined existing research on Sexual Violence in Ireland noted that comparisons over time are found to be complicated by different definitions and measurement approaches.

"It is important to consider these issues when examining sexual violence prevalence rates and when developing future surveys examining sexual, or any type of gender-based violence," she said.

The report states that attitudes toward gender roles and victim-blaming remain significant obstacles to policy change and prevention efforts, including in the European Union.