Mayo Rape Crisis Centre regularly sees young and very vulnerable women trafficked into Ireland to work in the sex trade
Sordid sex uncoveredMayo Rape Crisis Centre counsels and supports victims of rape, sexual assault and trafficking who often live silently with their ordeals.Áine Ryan MAYO RAPE Crisis Centre (MRCC) regularly sees young, vulnerable women who have been trafficked into Ireland to work in the sex trade, The Mayo News can exclusively reveal.
In an in-depth interview with Ms Ruth McNeeley, the longtime Director of MRCC dramatically reveals that there is a burgeoning sex trade in Mayo. On a positive note, she said the number of women reporting a rape to the Garda SíochΡna has increased significantly.
“We are working with women who have been trafficked in to Ireland to work in the Sex Trade. We have anecdotal evidence that many women are being primed and exploited within the sex trade here in Mayo. Especially young very vulnerable women from countries where to exist on a daily basis is to fight for your survival.
“These young woman are being groomed, abused and mistreated in our midst. It is all but impossible to make them safe enough to talk. We have no concept of the terror, the threat or the realities of the situations they have come from. They live in constant fear of one wrong move and what it might mean for loved ones at home. That includes parents, children, husbands, siblings being murdered,” Ruth McNeeley said.
In 2008 over one-third of the women seen at MRCC were asylum seekers. These women are often traumatised and have endured biblical suffering in their countries of origin.
Of course, sexual assault, abuse and rape is not confined to the victims of this sordid and exploitative practise of human trafficking, this social problem is often hidden and occluded right on our own doorsteps.
“When the centre opened first, in 1994, the majority of clients were the adult survivors of child sex abuse. Then about eight years ago the institutional abuse was exposed. Up until then 70 per cent of clients were from that group but that has now changed in the last few years,” Ms McNeeley explained.
Shockingly, she said that drug-related rape has increased.
“We have also discovered that, between 2002 and 2008, 50 per cent of rape victims were aged 15 to 18 and, moreover, the rapists were nearly all acquaintances. That age group is so vulnerable.” She stressed that alcohol is the drug of choice for sexual violence and that at all times, no matter what, the perpetrator is totally responsible.
“Furthermore, if you are black you will be approached on the street for sex anywhere in Ireland. That’s a given. Stranger rape has also increased in the last two years. There have also been more reports of martial rape. But we (MRCC) are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Impact of the Listowel rape caseThe Mayo News asked Ruth McNeeley about the implications and the impact of the recent Listowel case where neighbours and a priest went to court and either shook the hand of the convicted perpetrator or defended him. The priest later resigned after an outpouring of outrage.
“I was deeply hurt for the young woman. I was shocked and yet I wasn’t surprised. Have people still not got it? When I first heard about the Listowel case, I thought about Joanne Hayes ( the controversial Kerry Baby case), which was 26 years ago. When I think of the humiliation and what Joanne Hayes went through, the whole country was talking about her body.
“I was struck by the Listowel’s woman courage. Her case brought the issue to the fore again. The level of prejudice and mythology out there is still shocking, but I don’t despair because of how that young woman took her courage in her hands, despite pressure from a closely-knit community. I’m in awe of her courage.”
Facing court People must remember and understand that when a rape or sexual assault case comes before the court, essentially the crime scene is the body.
“Even though the gardaí are now much better trained, it is still hard for a victim to walk into a garda station or even a hospital. I would criticise the system though. When a victim makes an initial report, whether that’s to the guards or to medical professionals, they naturally bond with the person. But the system means that at the next appointment it could be a different guard or medic. This mitigates against the victim.”
While Ruth McNeeley expressed concern at the lack of proper training of the judiciary, she conceded that ‘of late cases have been dealt with more sympathetically’.
“Often the difficult hurdle is getting through the DPP’s office and into court,” she added.
The bottom line is the reporting of a rape, or going to the gardaí has not become part of our culture yet.
“The Listowel case is a perfect example of why people don’t report rapes.” Ms McNeeley nevertheless urges women to go to their local garda station and report a sexual assault or rape, to both increase the chance of perpetrators being brought to justice and increase our knowledge about the rates of these crimes.
HistoryMRCC was founded in 1994. In the interim it has grown from a small unit, with grant funding of €15,000, to the present service which receives over €150,000 annual funding from the HSE. The centre also runs a series of fundraising events which on average adds around €30,000 to the annual budget.
Located discreetly in Castlebar town centre, the centre comprises a waiting area, three counselling rooms and offices. It is staffed by the Director, Ms Ruth Neeley, an administrator, three part-time counsellors and a team of volunteers. The centre also runs outreach services in Ballina, Belmullet and Claremorris.
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