New figures reveal 123 people aged 55 or older attended a rape crisis centre in Ireland in 2010.
The figures, released by the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland, coincided with the launch yesterday of a new DVD for older women affected by sexual violence, produced by the organisation and the Older Women’s Network.
Of the 123 individuals, just over three-quarters were female. The majority, or 82 per cent, were survivors of sexual violence. Of that cohort, more than half said the violence had taken place in their own homes.
Almost 80 per cent of those who had experienced sexual violence in childhood revealed the abuse had been carried out over many years. Almost half of survivors of childhood sexual abuse had been abused by a family member.