The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Survivors of rape and sexual assault are waiting between six and nine months for counselling at the Ennis branch of the Rape Crisis Midwest, due to increased demand for services and cuts to funding, it has emerged. Last year, the Ennis centre, along with the one in Nenagh, were forced to close for a month, due to a funding shortfall. The funding situation remains “critical”. Ann Ginnane, counsellor and psychotherapist with the Ennis centre, explained that while the waiting times are lengthy, people who present in crisis are prioritised. “Of our clients, 70% approximately would have suffered historic sexual abuse and 30% would be people who have been recently raped. We have a waiting list of about six to nine months, as we are only open here in Ennis two days a week. “But when there is an emergency, or if someone contacts us in crisis, we try to prioritise them. We always follow up. We never leave people out …
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