Delay criticised as rape crisis helpline highlighted

Frustation at "delay after delay" in the opening of two new sexual assault treatment units in the west and midlands was expressed yesterday by the chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

Speaking at the unveiling of a new campaign to raise awareness of the centre's helpline, Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop said €2.4 million had been made available in budget 2006 to update existing units in Dublin, Letterkenny, Waterford and Cork and to open two new units in Mullingar and Galway.

Currently the Letterkenny unit was closed and the Mullingar and Galway units had not come on stream.

Asked why the units had not opened, Ms O'Malley-Dunlop said: "At this stage I don't know. We have representation on the steering committee and there has just been delay after delay. There are venues, €2.4 million has been made available and was ring-fenced, and again €2.4 million was made available this year and ringfenced, so we just don't know where it's at, at this stage."

The Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, John Moloney, who was at the event, said he would look into the reasons for the delay. "It's important to give a commitment that over the next two to three weeks we do our best to resolve the issue."

A spokeswoman for the HSE said it was expected that the Mullingar unit would be open before the end of the year.

Mr Moloney also expressed his view that the Director of Public Prosecutions James Hamilton should include alleged rapes and sexual assault among those alleged crimes he would, in some instances, explain not prosecuting.

Kitty Holland, Irish Times

More story at-http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1030/1225321557513_pf.html

© 2008 The Irish Times

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