For the last two weeks there has been a large banner on the side of Liberty Hall. It simply read: “It was never your fault.”
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre displayed the banner because we continue to operate at the highest level of alarm that rape myths and rape culture are thriving in Ireland. We want to do everything we can to show survivors that we stand with them.
We were motivated by national research we carried out last year that showed victim-blaming remains worryingly high, even if many people show greater awareness and understanding of sexual violence. This includes the mistaken belief that false rape accusations occur “a lot” (one in five people think this is the case), that sexual violence is made out to be a “big deal when it isn’t really” (one in 10 people believe this), or that they would be sceptical if a victim or survivors said they’d been drinking or under the influence of drugs (one in eight people).
While these headline figures already alarmed us, when we looked at the data in more detail, it revealed that young men are up to seven times more likely to hold these and other victim-blaming views than older men. I’m drawing attention to this research because we believe we need to do everything possible to change those attitudes.
It was disappointing that, despite the outpouring of support from the public and broad welcome from survivors of sexual violence, our banner coincided with two dismal events which highlighted, in very different ways, troubling attitudes in Irish society.
The first was Munster Rugby’s hiring of a man who had been accused of sexual assault in South Africa. New Zealander Roger Randle was accused of raping a woman in Durban in 1997 when he was part of the Hurricanes team playing a Super Rugby match in the South African city. He denied the allegations and the charges were withdrawn, but the fallout from his appointment as an attack coach saw three players resign from Munster Rugby’s Professional game committee.
There are good reasons we hold our sporting organisations to high standards. Players and coaches at the top of their field are important role models in sport and in wider society, especially for children and young people. With that elevated status must come great responsibility and care, given that supporters can be so influenced by sporting idols’ actions and words.
The second event involved a former TD providing a character reference for someone convicted of sexual offences. The so-far unnamed former TD gave a reference for Daniel Ramamoorthy, who was convicted of sexually exploiting a 13-year-old boy at a Christian children’s camp. This is shocking and indefensible.
[ Surviving sexual abuse: Hearing my case would not proceed broke me all over againOpens in new window ]
In my mind, nobody should try to put forward what they consider to be redeeming qualities to offset harm done by a perpetrator – but for an elected representative to do so is beyond belief. Our TDs are responsible for passing laws that protect victims and convict perpetrators, and for driving the national strategy to eliminate sexual violence. Writing a reference for someone who has perpetrated a sexual offence is wholly incompatible with those responsibilities to victims. Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste strongly condemned the actions of the former TD, but it is demoralising that they had to do so, and that a former member of the Oireachtas would even consider standing in support of a perpetrator.
The debate around both issues highlighted how attitudes to sexual violence and complaints of sexual violence in Irish society have some way to go.
We need more people, but particularly more men, in our society to show courage and solidarity with victims and complainants by making it clear that they have zero tolerance for sexual violence. As many people have said, the epidemic of sexual violence will not end until men prioritise this issue in the same way that women have – more precisely, that women have had to.
The banner draped down Liberty Hall sent a positive message to survivors, but the work of calling out those who minimise sexual violence in all its forms continues.
Rape culture will only be dismantled when words and actions that stigmatise, victim-blame and trivialise sexual violence are no longer tolerated.
Rachel Morrogh is chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. Free, confidential and non-judgmental support on 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 77 8888
