‘Lets have a new normal for women’
The head of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork said she suffered a backlash for not attending a recent protest against gender-based violence.
Mary Crilly, Director of the Centre, said she didn’t attend the protest on Leeside because the public health advice was that people were not to gather due to Covid-19.
Several protests were recently held across the country, including Cork city, in solidarity with the women protesting the murder of Sarah Everard in the UK who was killed on her way home from a friend’s house.
Speaking during a virtual Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting this week, Ms Crilly said: “I want to ask the men online here if we can have new normal when things open up again.
“I know there was a protest last week as women are very anxious about being the streets. I didn’t speak at it and I got a bit of backlash about that. We’re being asked not the gather so I adhered to that and didn’t speak at it.”
Ms Crilly continued: “I would love a new normal when the city opens up where women can walk the streets and feel like they don’t have to have keys in their hand, not to have to text someone every five minutes, not feel that it’s their fault if something happens to them. It’s in our power to change it. Most young girls that I met that are raped on the streets are rarely raped by strangers, it usually by someone that they know.
“Cork is phenomenal so lets have a new normal for the women of this city,” she added.
Rape and sexual assault
Her comments came following the release of new crime figures for Cork city. Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin, during the JPC meeting, compared January and February 2020 with the same months in 2021.
Gardaí in Cork city received six reports of rape during the two months in 2020 and seven in the two months in 2021. Reports of sexual assault fell by 35 per cent from 17 to 11.
Commenting on those figures, Ms Crilly said: “People might think that the figures of sexual assault and rape are quite low but last year we saw 350 new cases. I’ve been in the centre everyday since lockdown with another counsellors while other counsellors are working remotely. We don’t take days off because we’ve been so busy.”
She also praised the work the Protective Services Unit (PSU) in Cork city.
Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin said the Sexual Health Centre in Cork was a great ally to An Garda Síochána.
“We work together and I know the figures probably don’t reflect the issues that you and your team are team with in the centre. We will support you in everyway that we can,” he added.
He confirmed that the PSU team will be increased soon by one sergeant and three detective gardaí bringing the team up to one inspector, three sergeants and 17 detective gardaí.
He encouraged anyone who had been the victim of rape or sexual assault to come forward and report it to gardaí.
Cllr Lorna Bogue said she fully supported what Ms Crilly said about women feeling safe in the city while also bringing a report she read recently to the members’ attention.
“36 per cent of women feel in danger while walking at night while 60 per cent of women feel unsafe taking the bus which is quite concerning because you would think that those situations would be monitored,” said the Independent councillor.
Responding to Cllr Bogue, Chief Executive Ann Doherty said: “It’s a conversation we need to have with Irish Rail and Bus Éireann. I do agree with you that it’s a bit incredulous in this day and age that that’s the feedback we’re getting in relation to how people feel when they are using public transport and therefor it does need to be addressed.”