The facts suggest that alcohol is the most common drug used to facilitate sexual assaults and rape[i]. Although drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB have received much attention internationally as ‘date-rape drugs’, in Ireland, there has been no evidence to suggest that they are used with regularity in incidents of sexual assault[ii]. Read more
Rape and Justice in Ireland (RAJI) identified that adult victims of rape in Ireland are predominantly young, with half of all reported rapes involving a victim under the age of 25. Those accused of rape were also young: 33% of those accused of rape were under the age of 25.[i] The RAJI study did not include victims or perpetrators of rape under the age of 18; however, evidence suggests that sexual violence perpetrated by, and against, those in the 14-18 year old category is common[ii] . Service providers in Ireland note that sexual violence against girls in this age category increasingly resembles sexual violence committed against adult women rather than younger children. [iii]
Victim blaming arises from the belief that a victim of rape ‘wanted, asked for, enjoyed, or deserved to be raped due to her behaviour or appearance’. [i][ii] Research provides clear evidence that intoxicated female victims of rape are more likely to be blamed or assigned responsibility for the rape than sober victims, while intoxicated male perpetrators tend to be assigned less responsibility than sober perpetrators.[iii]
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Across European countries there are notable differences in the behaviours of individuals who consume equal amounts of alcohol.[i] Culture plays a role in how we behave when we consume alcohol. Studies have shown that how an individual responds to alcohol depends on what effects they expect to experience.[ii],[iii] These are called ‘Alcohol expectancies’. Individuals will consume alcohol in order to experience what they believe are the desirable effects of alcohol as understood within their culture.[iv] Read more
Alcohol consumption by both perpetrators and victims of rape is very high in Ireland; yet, our understanding of the ways in which alcohol consumption intersects with various factors in rape cases remains poor. International studies indicate that alcohol consumption patterns in rape cases differ by relationship between perpetrator and victim.1 Read more
Welcome to our new RCNI blog. We have created this blog to post information on our various publications and hope that people will share this information across other platforms.
Here is the first of our series of posts on alcohol and sexual violence. RCNI believe a greater understanding of the link between alcohol and sexual violence, and effective ways to address it, can prevent sexual violence. Read more
Welcome to our new blog.
We have created this blog to post information on our various publications and hope that people will share this information across other platforms.
Keep an eye out for our first post.
We need your help to keep our organisation healthy to keep our front-line services in operation.
