Billboard campaign appeals to victims of sexual abuse to access services
Hope Campaign Dublin From A The Crisis Of Centre Billboard Rape Sign
A billboard campaign aimed at appealing to victims of sexual abuse who have never accessed services has been launched.
The ‘Signs of Hope’ are displayed across Dublin and feature real words from nine survivors of sexual violence encouraging other victims to come forward.
"They are authentic messages from people who have experienced sexual violence, offering hope, empowerment and solidarity to those who are currently facing sexual violence alone, we believe this will make a connection," said the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, which launched the four-week initiative.
The latest figures from the Sexual Violence Survey revealed that fewer than half of those subjected to sexual violence ever disclosed the abuse to another person, and of those only one in five had sought support from a service.
Ciara Mangan from Castlebar, Co Mayo, is a survivor of rape and is taking part in the project.
The 29-year-old waived her right to anonymity last year, when Shane Noonan, aged 28, of Castlehill Park, Turlough Road in Castlebar, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty to raping her at a house party eleven years ago.
Ms Mangan told the that since the conviction, she has had a “really tough year”.
“It’s probably, the hardest of the whole 11 years since the rape itself,” she said. “When someone goes to prison, it doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t take away what happened. Coming up to the sentencing it was survival mode for me.
“I believed him going away would be the answer to everything. He’s gone away for seven years but will have time off for good behaviour, and I’m still left feeling sad, it didn’t take away anything. It didn’t make me feel different. It is such a deflating experience.
“I am picking up now, I’m doing better now. I have a great family and friends and all of that support.”
Ms Mangan said she wants people who have not come forward about abuse, to know how important it is to get help.
Her message on the Signs of Hope Billboard is: “Your hope will surprise you in a beautiful way”.
She said: “It is really unassuming; it just appears after a lot of hard work and support around you.
“I just want people who have never shared their abuse to know that we all start somewhere, and we all start there.
“It is a really isolating place to be, it’s very hopeless, it’s very scarey. A lot of it is suffering on your own — I suffered for 10 months on my own.
“But to see survivors come through it, reach the other side, after a place of hopelessness and healing, it is inspiring. Survivors are in a dark place of isolation, and they need to see something.
“One day you just see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. And you just have to hold on and wait for it because it will come, and you will get to a place of hope.
“Despite how hard it was, I don’t regret coming forward. I have a lot of things in the pipeline to look forward to”.
Chris Rooke, aged 32, from Dublin, was sexually assaulted in 2015 and reported the matter to gardaí but did not take the case any further.
His message in the billboard campaign says: “What someone else does to you does not determine who you are.”
He said: “You are not the cause of this event that is the main thing I want to get across."
He told the that in the immediate aftermath of sexual assault, the feeling "is one of isolation and loneliness".
“I am a queer man, there is an element of not knowing where to turn to or know where the supports were.
“When we talk about sexual violence, we talk about a man against a woman, and that is the majority of cases, but we have to remember that 1 in 4 men have also experienced some form of sexual violence, but absolutely there is more abuse against women. More people are talking about it now."
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Rachel Morrogh said: “This silent majority carry the trauma of sexual violence on their own, often not telling anyone else what happened to them.
“The premise of this campaign is that survivors who have accessed support services are sending a message of hope and encouragement to the many who haven’t. We want to let them know that the National Rape Crisis Helpline, run by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, offers free, non-judgmental and confidential support. This is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.”
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.