The number of female rape victims in Ireland is almost three times the average for an EU country, a new study by Noteworthy and the European Data Journalism Network (EDJNet) has revealed, according to Noteworthy.
In 2022 alone, the average number of women reporting rape in Ireland was 34 per 100,000 of the female population, significantly higher than the average of almost 12 per 100,000 in the six countries for which data is available.
Figures obtained by Noteworthy as part of an EDJNet investigation into violence against women in Europe also show how the number of victims of sexual violence in Ireland has increased almost every year since 2012. Commenting on violence against women in Ireland, Mary McDermott, CEO of Safe Ireland, stated that “we have a large-scale problem.”
How to deal with it is the issue.
Comprehensive data collected by EDJNet shows that the highest number of rape victims in Europe was in Scandinavia, where Sweden had an average of 135 victims per 100,000 women between 2012 and 2022. This was followed by Denmark (45), Finland (41), France (38), Austria (30), Ireland (25) and Germany (20).
In terms of the number of annual rapes reported across Europe, 2021 saw the highest number ever recorded, with more than 61,000 attacks reported to the authorities.
However, the researchers stated that the number could be higher because of “huge” differences in how some countries define rape. They also claimed there was a “significant possibility” that rape cases were underreported by police in each of the 28 countries whose data was analysed.
Only six countries were able to provide sexual assault data for 2022 – the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and Spain. A total of 19,735 victims were recorded in these regions: 13,205 sexual assaults and 6,530 rapes. However, Safe Ireland’s McDermott claimed there was a problem with the number of police reports compared to actual assault rates.
Dr Clíona Saidléar, executive director of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), stated that while there were “significant gaps” in data on sexual violence, there had been “significant advances” over the past five years.
Last month, the EU reached agreement on a long-awaited directive to tackle violence against women. The directive is the first of its kind and requires member states to pass laws to tackle acts, such as female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan stated:
As a society, there has been a hugely positive sea change in how we view, understand and tolerate domestic abuse in our homes and in our communities, and how absolutely unacceptable it now is.
Noonan stated that with full disclosure of these crimes, continued improvements in police response and broader policies, “the prevalence of domestic violence in our community” can be reduced.
