ACT NOW Prevent blind HSE decision on Rape & Child Sexual Abuse

Hello friends. We all may know someone who has been a victim of the horrendous crime of sexual violence from rape, sexual assault or someone who has being sexual abused as a child. We as a society have to speak up against the latest HSE decision to terminate the Rape Crisis Network Irelands funding. I for one am very angry at this decision and if you feel you can then please support this petition. I have spoken to the RCNI and asked them if I could use their information and they agreed. Below you will find the information as to why I set up this petition and why it is both extremely important and urgent that this decision is reversed as soon as possible. The RCNI (Rape Crisis Network Ireland) are a lead agent in creating transformation in Ireland towards addressing sexual violence. The HSE has informed RCNI and SAFE Ireland that all of their core funding will terminate, in its entirety, on June 30th 2011. We are going to focus at this moment in time on influencing the Minister for Health, Dr Reilly (drjamesreilly@gmail.com or james.reilly@oireachtas.ie ) and an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny (enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie) RCNI operates a reliable and proven national data collection programme on child sexual abuse and rape. HSE want to adopt an unreliable, unfit for purpose approach. The RCNI data collection system is so good it is now being used in Scotland and is actively being considered in other countries across Europe. Reliable, accurate data is essential in identifying perpetrators, identifying patterns of rape and sexual abuse, preventing further rape and sexual abuse, holding perpetrators to account and planning services. Without this we cannot as a society be equipped to reduce rape and child sexual abuse. This data collection system has been developed over seven years and get this; The HSE part funded its development. So they funded the project and now want to terminate it! Go figure! RCNI estimate that this incompetence will set the HSE and child protection agencies and strategies across Ireland, back at least 10 years in terms of its capacity to deliver effective child protection. So it’s back to the 90’s.Remember them? We have come a long way as a country in responding to victims of rape and child sexual abuse...please do not let the HSE send us back to the dark ages. ‘The HSE seek to replace a national system with a flawed, paper-based process which will be wasteful and potentially misleading. This decision betrays the substantial gap in capacity, joined-up thinking and expertise in the HSE. ‘The destruction of capacity within the RCNI, Rape Crisis and child protection sectors will make some very short term and minor gains in terms of public spending cuts. However, this saving will be illusionary as the true and significant costs will quickly become evident. Things you may not know about the RCNI • RCNI member centres provide services to more child survivors of sexual violence than any other non governmental agency (72 children accessed services in 2009). • The RCNI data collection system is now being used in Scotland and is actively being considered in other countries across Europe. • Through their data they can see that their services are Ireland’s largest NGO providers of specialist counselling for male survivors of sexual violence and male supporters of survivors (206 male survivors and 54 male supporters accessed RCNI member centre counseling in 2009). • The RCNI is the longest serving continuous member of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Woman. • The RCNI drafted the national guidelines on Public Awareness Raising on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence. • The RCNI has driven improvement and innovation in Sexual Assault Treatment Unit availability and standards through national committees for almost a decade. • The RNCI has long been the lead NGO in progressing justice for victims of sexual violence. • Oh and PS - they’re great value for money! The RCNI: • Work to prevent sexual violence. • Raise capacity and standards across service delivery for survivors of sexual violence and their supporters. • Gives voice to survivors whose experiences of sexual violence are silenced and denied. • Expertly record and analyse information uniquely available to us and make it public. • Improve access for survivors to appropriate services to meet changing needs. • Inform responses to sexual violence. • Share gold standard capacity with others in Ireland and internationally. • Lead change on the basis of evidence. • Work in partnership at local, regional, national and international level, with the public, private, academic and not for profit sectors. • Model excellence in governance and accountability. • Hold public sector agencies and government to account and deliver solutions. • Provide evidence base to support and inform work across 6 government departments and over 100 NGOs. • Raise funding for and commission groundbreaking research. • Constantly innovate to harness new opportunities and technologies towards improving survivors’ experience.