Ms Kathrina Bentley:

What we hear from the men on our helpline is that sometimes they do not identify themselves as rape victims. It takes a lot for a man to actually disclose that he has been raped. It is not language that they often use. Moreover, our legislation does not recognise female-on-male rape and this is a barrier for them. We have a case that might be going through live this year. We are going to support our client all the way through with counselling. It took the person several months of counselling before it came out in a counselling session. Again, it was a great and brave step for that gentleman to come forward. Then there was great work from our colleagues in An Garda Síochána to support him in terms of gathering evidence, etc. From last year to date, we have heard of 13 disclosures. The previous year there were only five or six reported. Again, it is about using the language. The Government, the Department of Justice and the Garda all have roles. The Still Here and No Excuses campaigns worked hard over 2020 as well. I believe we are getting the message out for victims not to stay silent. It is great that they are coming forward and speaking, but obviously we have to resource or find the resources to walk with them on the journey.

The trauma felt is an issue. One person mentioned to us some weeks ago that he felt he was still in the fog of the domestic and sexual violence. We ramped up our communication with the person, although not too much. There was a text message and then a call some days later. He is still in the fog. He is out of the situation but the way it was described was as an absolutely surreal experience. This highlights the importance of having someone who is trauma informed and of having a front-line experienced person to walk the victim through it. Perhaps the family did not get it. Perhaps friends might not necessarily have got it or really understood the true dynamics of domestic and sexual violence. The volume we have seen in 2020 and the continued volume in 2021 are a matter of concern, but it is good that people are coming forward.