Staff members at the centre including from left, Marina Porter, Manager, Michael O’Toole, Art Therapist, Giselle D’ Souza, Admin/Reception and Noeleen Deveney, Client Support Worker.
By Dionne Meehan
The Donegal Rape Crisis Centre is now offering counselling services to children as young as 12-years-old and staff say the demand for help from young children is on the rise.
Up until recently, the centre offered its services for adults and children aged 14 years and older.
However, in order to meet a growing demand for help from children, the age limit has now dropped to 12 years.
Staff were able to facilitate the change after receiving Late Late Toy Show funding.
Rape Crisis Centre manager Marina Porter said the service is in high demand.
She said children as young as 12 are now contacting the centre reporting incidents of sexual violence – and in many cases the offending party is of a similar age.
Ms Porter said it isn’t just sexual violence that young people are dealing with.
Seeing an increase in physical violence accompanying sexual violence cases in the county, Marina said a lack of sexual education may be to blame.
“If young people are getting their education from pornography and violent pornography, then they think this is normal, that this is what a relationship should be like,” she said.
“It certainly doesn’t help if young children have access to smart phones.
“It is not to say all young people are going off searching for it, they could type in a search for something very innocent and receive some very hard-core images.
“It is a big conversation nationally and internationally, but I do think there needs to be something done to stop some of that horrendous imagery that you can access at the click of a button,” she said.
Many young clients who choose to speak out about their abuse end up being bullied or physically attacked by their peers. Ms Porter said these young people really need the help of her centre.
“A lot of our young clients get so terribly bullied and even physically attacked by their peers because their peers think they are making up lies,” she said.
“’He does this, he would never do that, he said he refused you and now you are getting your revenge’ – these are the types of conversations that are going on.
“It is so sad, it is so hard to navigate school anyway, then to have this trauma on top of that, then to be doubted and then to be bullied.
“Young people really, really need our help,” she said.
She urged parents to have more open conversations with their children about relationships and sexuality, and said it is vital for young people to understand the meaning of ‘consent’.
She spoke of her shock at the number of young people, even those in second and third year of college, who are not clear about consent.
And she said it’s not just in the big cities and towns that incidents occur.
“People think bad things don’t happen in Donegal, things do and in every corner of it,” she added.
“It’s not just in the big towns, sadly.
“But at least if people know about us, they can come for help when they’re ready,” she said.
Urging those affected to pick up the phone and contact the service, Marina said the service strives to preserve people’s anonymity and to respect their privacy.
“Rape Crisis Centre sounds so horrible and clinical but we like to reassure people that we are just ordinary people as well and we like to have a bit of craic too.
“There is no big sign on the door so nobody knows they are here.
“For us, our client’s privacy and dignity is paramount,” she said.
Offering services such as Art Therapy and Dance Movement Psychotherapy, Marina spoke of how nice it is for young people not to have to depend on words.
“It is a really good way to explore emotions that sometimes you don’t have the language for.
“It is just about getting people a little bit more comfortable, a bit confident and it is nice to have different therapies to offer people,” she said.
If you or someone you know is interested in availing of this service please Freephone 1800448844 or email info@donegalrapecrisis.ie
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