Almost 50 students in Galway have reported being the victim of rape or sexual assault in the past six months.
Galway Rape Crisis Centre have said that between 45 and 50 students have come to the them in the past six months, with September and October always being busy months.
The figures from Galway Rape Crisis Centre have emerged after news that three students in Cork reported being raped in the first week of college.
The Irish Independent reported that the head of Cork Rape Crisis Centre shared those figures with the city’s Joint Policing Committee on Tuesday.
Executive Director of Galway Rape Crisis Centre Cathy Connolly said that those numbers are not uncommon,
She also said they don’t reflect the true number of incidents, as many will not report sexual assault for several months.
According to her, a trigger might cause people to decide to report what happened, or to seek help, some time after the assault take place.
Some of the victims that come to the Galway Rape Crisis Centre can be as young as 14, she added.
In addition, Ms Connolly confirmed that it’s always a busy period for them when the college year starts in September of October
“We are always very busy when colleges come back. First-years can be quite vulnerable, but you might not see the figures straight away.”
The issue of consent surrounding sexual encounters between students has become an increasingly repeated topic of conversation in out colleges lately.
This year NUI Galway’s Students’ Union is rolling out consent workshops for first year students at Corrib Village and Goldcrest Students Residencies.
