... to be shocked: Irish Times -> Almost 15% of Irish adults have been raped

[TakeUsHome]

Wow! This seems to be an incredible statistic

www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/almost-15-of-irish-adults-have-been-raped-study-finds-1.4418390

This has me somewhat on edge, due to a recent incident. I had to park a few streets from home, was followed, grabbed, but luckily escaped (that was about 9PM in the evening!)

Sadly, this does not surprise me.

In surveys there can be all kinds of sampling biases, etc. that a good design should mitigate against. Who knows in this case?

But regardless, even if the number is +/- 5 percent ... that is an awful statistic

So that's 20% of women and 10% of men that have been raped - seems reasonably believable. Remember not all of them will be "grabbed and dragged into the bushes" attacks, plenty of them will be drunken incidents the victims weren't fully able to consent to.

I have no idea of percentages, but working in legal/related area in Ireland. Anecdotally (based on me, colleagues, police I work with), there is a lot more than general population realize. All of the typical scenarios: nightclubs, pubs, university campus, dates, The vast majority of these reports never make the news. Maybe also people are reporting now more than in the past?

Remember not all of them will be "grabbed and dragged into the bushes" attacks, plenty of them will be drunken incidents the victims weren't fully able to consent to. Or abusive partners who coerced them into sex.

"grabbed and dragged into the bushes" has always been a minority - rape (and murder of women) has always been more often by someone known to the victim.

I’m really sorry that you had this awful experience. I hope you are okay.

@Anothermother3, thanks I'm actually doing very well. I live in a quiet residential area. Something like this happened a few streets away about 6 months ago. I noticed/suspected I was being followed, then I though I was being paranoid, so I had some time to think. I took a risk and basically threatened him (that I knew him! that my phone was on!), kicked, bit, etc. I'm small, not strong, he was teens/early 20s?, but it surprised him and he quickly left. No doubt what his aim was though! Reported to police, no suspect (there is a request for dashcam footage, CCTV, etc.). Not expecting much tbh

I'm shocked you're shocked tbh.

When you say adults do you mean women?

@MereDintofPandiculation, that's certainly the situation in Ireland too, the biggest risk is people you know. And I dread to think about the lack of support for people in abusive relationships/homes. I have no experience of cases in that area.

A bit more detail ... Where I am based there are "new" categories that would have been essentially unreported (or basically ignored if reported in the past). There is an epidemic of homelessness, and associated incidents. Many cases relating Traveler community, again these might have have been ignored in the past too. Also, college students are better informed now, and there are more avenues for reporting. All these bump up the numbers, but essentially these were ignored in the past.

Who is raping people. Why is this report so coy about this. Ponders.

Reading the article, one in 5 women doesn't sound unbelievable to me - tbh I'm actually more surprised about one in 10 men. Both are shockingly high :-(

I am not surprised at all. We had a work do last year for Christmas and one of the young girls got so drunk she was ejected from the club. I went outside to make sure she was ok and to call her mum (!) to collect her. In that time two young men both approached separately and tried to chat her up (she was covered in her own vomit). If that is just one incident an old fogey like me has witnessed, then yes I'd well believe of Ireland and the UK. (Before anyone asks, yes I told both boys to jog on).

It doesn’t suprise me.

Not surprised. 😥

@Lalaloveyou2020

I am not surprised at all. We had a work do last year for Christmas and one of the young girls got so drunk she was ejected from the club. I went outside to make sure she was ok and to call her mum (!) to collect her. In that time two young men both approached separately and tried to chat her up (she was covered in her own vomit). If that is just one incident an old fogey like me has witnessed, then yes I'd well believe of Ireland and the UK. (Before anyone asks, yes I told both boys to jog on).

Same. Kingston station at 1 am about 17 years ago. Stayed with a girl too drunk to put the pin in to her phone. Vultures were circling.

I wonder if they have to say adults instead of women so that men dont shout it down

@AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore

Reading the article, one in 5 women doesn't sound unbelievable to me - tbh I'm actually more surprised about one in 10 men. Both are shockingly high :-(

Men or males? I’d imagine a fair number of little boys were raped in institutions supposedly daring for them.

Or perhaps they say adults as the report covers men and women? You know, the information you'd know if you had read the article.

Another person sadly not surprised it’s 15%. To be honest, I actually think it’s higher, probably over 25% really. With sexual violence probably at over 50%.

There’s still a lot of confusion and stigma.

One thing that gives me a little hope is increased levels of men disclosing they have suffered rape and sexual violence.

I think, in practical terms, that will be really key to seeing long-term change. It shouldn’t be like that but it is.

My take is that sexual predators have long used tactics of shaming men and women who have been attacked into silence, and also also then twisting the understandable silence of men into another toxic control mechanism- making men think they are more likely to be falsely accused of rape by a women than be subjected to sexual violence by another man. It’s a very effective oppression technique.

Once people start realising sexual violence is better characterised as “everyone vs the predators” rather than just “men vs women” real change is more likely.

Not shocked at all, although we should be. What this doesn’t then go on to talk about is the many people who will spend a lifetime with mental health issues and consequently physical issues such as obesity, digestive issues as a result.

When people say about wearing masks and people talk about oh it’s only a small minority who might have suffered issues that could lead them to not wearing a mask remember this statistic and remember it’s only one of many traumas people are living with.

Child abuse will be a significant driver to that statistic.

I imagine the true figure is even higher than that

Out of curiosity, I took at look at the work of those authors. The article has been accepted for publication, so it has passed peer review. So with respect to methods, sampling, analysis, etc. the work is likely to be very good quality.

I could not find a copy online though, so not published yet I guess.

I am not surprised. I was 8 years old. Irish descent but not in Ireland. We have always been the target for a certain type.