Survivors of sexual violence in Ireland encourage others to call for support in powerful new campaign • GCN

Dublin Rape Crisis Center launches ‘Signs of Hope’ campaign to encourage survivors of sexual violence in Ireland to reach out to their families 24 Hour National Rape Crisis Hotline. By mid-November, real messages from survivors of such abuse will be displayed on billboards across Dublin, as well as broadcast on social media and radio platforms.

The ‘Signs of Hope’ campaign, launched on 14 October, centers on the words of actual survivors of sexual assault to encourage the silent majority of victims in Ireland to reach out for help. According to a national survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last year, 40% of people in the country have been affected by sexual violence; Many said they didn’t know or didn’t think they could access support.

The ‘Signs of Hope’ campaign displays eight direct messages from survivors benefiting from access to support, via billboards across Dublin, and aims to provide hope, strength and solidarity to those silently struggling.

“What someone does to you does not define who you are,” one message reads. Another says: “You can stop the silence. “Your voice is your power.”

These messages will also be shared through radio advertisements on national stations and social media posts on various platforms. During the four-week duration of the campaign, Dublin Rape Crisis Center It aims to encourage at least one more person to call their phone every hour. 24-hour National Helpline and get the support they need.

Almost 19,000 people contacted the helpline in 2023; This figure represents only a small fraction of the one in every two women and one in four men in Ireland who will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. They have already received calls and messages from survivors who had not told anyone else about their experiences and were inspired by the campaign to reach out to them.

LGBTQ+ activist Chris Rooke, one of eight survivors who have lent their voice to the campaign, said: “I think it is important that survivors who are just coming to terms with what they have experienced or who are beginning to understand what they have experienced can hear from other survivors who have been through this experience before. He did some of this work.

“When we see stories of sexual violence in the media or are wildly discussed, they are normally in the context of cases in the legal system,” she added. “These stories reflect an important route, but not one that everyone might want to take or feel they have access to, especially for members of marginalized communities, including the queer community, but also for the traveler community, immigrants, and others.

“In these cases, support and trailblazing from other members of their community can be even more important to individual survivors, and I hope this campaign can be a step in bringing a little more of that to more survivors.”

For more information about the ‘Signs of Hope’ campaign, visit the Dublin Rape Crisis Center website Here.

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