Sexual Offences

A proposed EU directive on combating violence against women will not address rape after member states failed to reach a consensus on its legal definition. The European Council took the decision to exclude rape from the forthcoming Directive on Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

Researchers north and south of the border have launched a new network to connect those working on sexual violence across the island of Ireland. The All-Ireland Network on Sexual Violence Research (AINSVR) is a collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and the University of Limerick, led by Dr

Pre-recorded evidence could harm a complainant's chance of securing a conviction in rape cases, new research shows. A study led by Professor Cheryl Thomas KC at University College London found there were 20 per cent fewer rape convictions in such cases.

Lawyers are being sought for research into the legal framework governing previous sexual history evidence in serious sexual offences trials. Dr Sinéad Ring of Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology is in the recruitment phase of the research and looking for lawyer participants.

Northern Ireland's largest newspaper publishers have launched a joint legal challenge to new legislation granting pre-charge anonymity to suspects of sexual offences. Under the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which came into force last September, suspec

The Irish government should campaign to have a consent-based definition of rape included in a new EU directive on violence against women, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has said. Frances Fitzgerald, the former justice minister and current Fine Gael MEP, said last year that some EU member states ar

A new campaign to raise awareness on pathways to safety and supports available for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence has been launched by the Department of Justice. The ‘Always Here’ campaign — which will run on TV, local and national radio, digital and social m

A new public awareness campaign is drawing attention to Northern Ireland's new bans on so-called up-skirting, down-blousing and cyber-flashing. The Department of Justice launched the "Don't do it. Don't tolerate it" campaign to raise awareness of the new offences in the Justice (Sexual Offences and

New criminal offences of up-skirting, down-blousing and cyber-flashing have come into effect in Northern Ireland. The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 is now fully in force, following the earlier commencement of provisions on the privacy and anonymity of

Justice minister Helen McEntee and James Browne, minister of state with responsibility for law reform have welcomed the passing through the Oireachtas of legislation which will establish a statutory agency under the remit of the Department of Justice dedicated to tackling and reducing domestic,

Stalking and non-fatal strangulation have become standalone criminal offences following the commencement of a wide-ranging law which also increases the maximum sentence for various offences and introduces new protections for victims. Almost all of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act

Research showing that half of women and almost a third of men in Ireland have experienced sexual violence will be used as a baseline against which to measure government efforts to combat sexual violence, justice minister Helen McEntee has said. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) last week published

New laws to safeguard the privacy and anonymity of victims of sexual offences and suspects in sexual offence cases in Northern Ireland have come into effect from today. Under the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, Northern Ireland is now the only part of t

The High Court has refused relief to an ex-Dublin school teacher who attempted to prohibit his prosecution for 151 counts relating to alleged historic sexual abuse of pupils. The court found that, at 71 years old, there was no fear of incapacity, noting that civil servants have the right to work unt

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has said it is disappointed that a wide-ranging new bill on sexual offences and human trafficking will not provide for all alleged victims to receive legal advice from the outset of criminal proceedings. The charity said it welcomed many provisions of the Criminal La