The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults in Ireland is now almost 50 times the level 20 years ago, new figures indicate.
Figures released yesterday by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre to The Irish Times also show that of the 15,717 calls to the centre in 2003, almost half claimed to have been the victim of rape or some kind of sexual assault.
The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults in 2003 represents a 4,570 per cent increase on the recorded number at the end of 1983, according to the figures.
Ms Breda Allen, chairwoman of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said: "The figures are quite mind-boggling. It is not clear whether or not more rapes and assaults are occurring or whether more people are reporting such attacks."
In 1983 the centre received a total of 148 calls from victims of assault. Of those, 127 claimed they were the victims of a rape.
Last year the centre received over 15,700 calls, of which almost 6,000 claimed to have been raped, showing a percentage increase of 7,915 per cent.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said: "The increase in the number of reported cases of assault is a matter of concern for the Minister.
"However, it must be stressed that there was a decrease in the overall number of sexual assaults for the year until the end of June."
Ireland currently has some of the most severe penalties in Europe for those convicted of a sexual assault.
A conviction for rape can result in life in prison, but sentences tend to be between five and eight years.
"A number of the cases reported to the Rape Crisis Centre are historical, and the Minister would welcome such moves to report such acts," the spokeswoman added.
Both the Rape Crisis Centre and the Department of Justice acknowledged that the figures only related to reported cases, and there was no way of knowing how many unreported attacks occur.
A nationwide survey by the Rape Crisis Centre published in 2002 showed that over one million Irish adults admitted to being raped or sexually assaulted at some stage in their lives.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, a registered charity, relies heavily on Government grants to remain open.
It cost €1.3 million last year to run, of which more than €800,000 came from Government grants.