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Musicians come together for the Galway Rape Crisis Centre
06 February 2010
Musicians come together for the Galway Rape Crisis Centre
GALWAY ADVERTISER, OCTOBER 08, 2009.
By Kernan Andrews
Dublin band Identity Parade, produced and artist managed by former Saw Doctor John ‘Turps’ Burke, will release a new single to help fund a new project run by the Galway Rape Crisis Centre. The project is being managed by the bands business manager Dave Connaughton.
All profits from the sale of the single ‘Kicking Stones’, which is released tomorrow, will go directly into the manufacture of a 15 track 25th anniversary compilation album for the GRCC, to be released in January titled "Awake".
To launch the single Identity Parade will play three short gigs around Galway on Sunday at Zhivago Shop Street at 2.30pm, Zhivago Eyre Square Shopping Centre (3.30pm), and Zhivago Galway Shopping Centre (4.30pm).
The band’s progress throughout this marathon day will be filmed. Volunteers from the GRCC will also accompany the band.
The GRCC anniversary album, Awake, Friends Of The Galway Rape Crisis Centre, will feature music from The Waterboys, The Saw Doctors, Sharon Shannon, The Stunning, Identity Parade, Mairtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Seamie O’Dowd, Cora & Breda Smyth, Padraig Stevens, Don Stiffe, Stacey Nolan, Keith Mullins, Larry Beau, The Government and The Coonics.
Interview with a Galway Rape Crisis Center Counsellor
By now most of us know of the devastating affects of childhood and adult sexual abuse and rape, yet at this time of shocking revelations in the media, Rape Crisis Centres remain in dire need of funds to continue the work of counselling men and women who reach out for help. The vast majority of abuse survivors were abused in non-institutional settings so they do not fall within the remit of the Redress Board. State support is inadequate in providing services for this largely unrecognised group.
It is with gratitude and joy that we welcome the release of this album and we wholeheartedly applaud the decision of the artists and all who were involved in its production to forego fees or remuneration. Every euro arising from the sale of the album will go to support Galway Rape Crisis Centre.
On behalf of all those brave men and women - our clients, our counselling staff and our volunteers we thank you for your support in buying the album. Enjoy.
National Conference 'The Next 25 Years'- A Summary
15 December 2009
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Summary of
the Conference 'The Next 25 years- Societal Responses to Sexual Abuse
and Rape'
On 27th
November GRCC hosted the National Conference 'The Next 25 years- Societal
Responses to Sexual Abuse and Rape' which took place at the Ardilaun Hotel
Galway. The conference focused on rape and sexual abuse in Ireland and beyond
with special regard to the developments that have already taken place in this
area, the situation as it currently stands, and what needs to be done in the
future to tackle these forms of abuse. The date of the conference was chosen
consciously to fall during this years International Sixteen Days of Action
Against Gender Violence Campaign, (which the centre also takes part in through
their website.)
The morning
session saw four speakers.
Ailbhe Smith
of UCD who
established the Women's Education and Resource Centre there, and has served on
a number of State Boards including the Higher Education Authority spoke about
the need for education in the area for children and adults, reaching from
primary schools right through to third level. She favoured a national strategy
to tackle this, and quoted research to show up the blocks to 10 to 15 percent
of schools not delivering the small bits of Relationship and Sexuality
Education which are on the curriculum.
Senator
Ivana Bacik is the Reid
Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin
as well as a practising barrister. She spoke about difficulties in the law
relating to sexual offences which pose blocks to more successful prosecutions.
In particular she had been involved in research and campaigning relating to the
right of the defense in rape cases to bring up previous sexual relationships of
the rape victim.
Some improvements
have been introduced around this, but she felt more had to happen to restrict
the use of this right only to cases where it is legally appropriate and
relevant.
Margaret
O'Reilly-Carroll is working
as a psychotherapy co-ordiantor for SPIRASI, the centre for the care of
survivors of torture in Dublin who support refugee and asylum seeker clients
who had to flee their home countries as a result of torture. Margaret spoke
about the work SPIRASI are involved in, and the difficulties asylum seekers and
refugees are faced with in Ireland having survived torture. the difficulties
range from inappropriate and often inhumane living conditions in direct
provision hostels, lack of mobility, poverty, difficulties with the legal
system in applying for asylum, right through to dealing with severe trauma and
difficulties reuniting with their families.
Micheal
O'Brien is a former
Mayor of Clonmel, and a survivor of severe physical and sexual abuse at an
industrial school. He is a founding member of 'Right To Peace' and sits on the
Education Finance Board. Micheal gave a moving impression of th terror he would
have lived in at the industrial school where he was placed after his mothers
death. He spoke about the emotional pain he still lives with every day using
himself as an example for the 3,000 or so survivors of abuse at these
institutions. Micheal condemned the governments inadequate treatment of
survivors and called for a seperation of Church and State which was followed by
a round of applause.
In the afternoon
there was a choice of five workshops including Maureen Davies introducing
participants to the Kepner model of working with trauma clients, and a workshop
on Capacitar, a self-help method GRCC counselors use a lot when working with
very traumatized clients such as asylum seekers and reugees who have suffered
torture. Capacitar is gentle, nurturing and powerful, and most of all
empowering as clients can use these skills at home. In the main hall there was
a presentation of three academic papers at the same time.
The
day was concluded by a round table discussion involving all participants who
split into subject area related groups focussing in their discussions on what
needs to be done in the years ahead for example in the areas of Education, Rape
Law, agency co-operation, and supporting male survivors among others. The
results of these discussions were recorded and will be disseminated to
participants for use in their organisations. They will also be used by Rape
Crisis Network Ireland to plan their work into the future.
A
Big Thank You goes to Louise Murphy who single-handedly
organised the event and did an amazing job all as part of her internship of 6
months at GRCC which is due to end at the end of December. We will miss you,
Louise!
The
photograph shows Michael O’Brien giving a moving speech in the morning session
at the conference ’The Next 25 years’ hosted by GRCC on November 27th
last.
GRCC in the Galway Independent
21 October 2009
GRCC have been asked to write a weekly column for the Galway Independent. The column is starting today on page 30 entitled "Let's talk about..." We will aim to cover issues such as myths surrounding sexual violence and abuse in an accessible way. Look out for us there!
New Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) has finally opened
31 August 2009
New Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) has Opened in Galway
A dedicated sexual assault treatment unit has opened in Galway after many delays.
Eleanor Comer, Forensic Nurse had taken up her position since 2nd March. The SATU Unit is located at Parkmore, which will be a temporary premises until a permanent unit is set up at Merlin Park Hospital.
Psychological Support will also be provided in the Unit and Galway Rape Crisis Centre will be looking after that side of the unit's services. GRCC currently have a group of Rape Crisis Centre volunteers undergoing training for the role of Support Workers in the unit, and the first group have now finished training and are ready to provide the service. The support workers are on call on a 24 hour basis in order to provide vital emotional support, information and advocacy services to clients in the aftermath of a rape or sexual assault.
Galway Rape Crisis Centre welcomes the Unit, which we have been lobbying for over the past decade. When the SATU at the Rotunda in Dublin opened, the reporting of rape and sexual assault increased dramatically. We would envisage the same to happen here when the Galway unit opens, as this long awaited specialised service will be available in the West of Ireland for the first time.
We recommend to anyone, male or female who has experienced recent sexual assault or rape to attend the unit for co-ordinated services in the aftermath of this trauma.
Sexual Assault Treatment Units are specially designated units that provide all necessary care in the aftermath of a rape or sexual assault in a multi-agency integrated approach.
Services include forensic medical examinations for individuals who have been raped or sexually assaulted carried out by a specially trained medical doctor. Evidence from the examination can assist in the investigation and /or prosecution of a case of sexual assault.
Gardai are present at the SATU and will take a preliminary statement from clients. However, clients will be given some time and space after their ordeal to decide whether or not they want to go ahead with the legal process.
SATU’s also provide psychological support and link survivors with counselling services to assist them in overcoming the trauma they have experienced. In Ireland, emotional support services at the units are provided by Rape Crisis Centres who have specially trained volunteers available.
Most importantly, the SATU units provide medical care such as screening for and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and/ or any injuries which can occur as a result of sexual assaults. The SATU unit is also expected to make the morning after pill (MAP) available to clients in the aftermath of rape.