Ms Angela McCarthy:

In terms of belief, it is important when somebody comes to the centre that the person feels we take the matter seriously. The person may have spoken already to family members. If it was another family member who committed the outrage or somebody known to the family, which is frequently the case, or somebody known to the group of friends - it may be a friend or an acquaintance and maybe it happened at a party - the person may be met with disbelief and sometimes treated with less than respect. The function of the Rape Crisis Centre is to be there for the victim, in terms of belief.