Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly has said the record number of contacts made to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in 2025 shows both the scale of sexual violence in Ireland and the courage of survivors coming forward to seek support.
The DRCC received almost 24,000 contacts last year, the highest in its 47-year history, with growing numbers of young people reporting image-based abuse and cyber exploitation.
Senator O’Reilly said the figures are deeply concerning.
“It takes enormous courage for survivors to pick up the phone and seek help. The increase in contacts shows how vital services like the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre are, but it also highlights the scale of sexual and gender-based violence across society.”
Referencing comments from DRCC CEO Rachel Morrogh that “this war against sexual violence is not one that we’re winning,” Senator O’Reilly said stronger action is urgently needed.
“We cannot ignore the growing link between violent pornography and violence against women and girls. A report commissioned by Women’s Aid highlights that strangulation and verbal degradation towards women are common forms of aggression depicted in pornography. An analysis of 300 popular pornographic videos found that almost 90% contained physical aggression. That should deeply concern all of us.”
“When violent and degrading content becomes mainstream, it shapes attitudes and behaviours, particularly among young people. We have young girls and women who are being strangled by male partners and are being taught to believe this is the norm for sexual experiences.”
Senator O’Reilly welcomed recent moves by Minister Jim O’Callaghan to strengthen legislation around violent pornography but said this legislation needs to be fast tracked.
“It has been six years since Aontú introduced legislation to restrict children’s access to online pornography. We cannot delay outlawing violent pornography when it will massively contribute towards tackling gender violence.”
