It was never your fault: Survivors must hear positive messages from Irish society to put an end to silence and shame

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is today unveiling a 20m banner on Dublin’s iconic Liberty Hall to strongly reaffirm that victims and survivors of sexual violence are never to blame for the violence done to them. The message is: ‘It Was Never Your Fault’. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre wants to reassure every survivor and affirm to every member of the public that victims are never to blame for any type of sexual violence. All shame and blame lies with the perpetrator.

Commenting after the unveiling of the banner on Liberty Hall, Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Rachel Morrogh said: “We hear so often from survivors we support how they struggle with feelings of guilt and self-blame because of the myths and stigmas that still surround the issue of sexual violence. This is often driven from a social misconception that people are somehow responsible for keeping themselves safe or that they should have been able to prevent the sexual violence they experienced. As a society, we reinforce this through victim-blaming tropes and messages that permeate our systems and wider culture.

“But we know that the only person responsible for sexual violence is the person who perpetrates it. Victims and survivors of sexual violence need to hear strong and positive messages of encouragement and hope from wider society and that is why we settled on this message that what was done to them was never their fault.”

A survey conducted by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last year revealed a persistent and concerning level of victim-blaming around sexual violence in Irish society, with one in five people believing false accusations of rape are common. It found that one in ten members of the public wouldn’t believe someone was the victim of a sexual assault unless they report to Gardaí.

Survivor and activist Charlene Masterson said that victim-blaming in our society silences survivors and prevents them from seeking support, healing and justice: “I was not surprised at the survey results. When somebody hears that kind of message, it reinforces their self-blame and shame. If we as a society truly want to eliminate sexual violence, we need to make it clear to survivors that they are not to blame for the violence done to them.”

The campaign builds on the organisation’s ‘Signs of Hope’ campaign last year which platformed the voices and messages of victims and survivors on billboards around Ireland. “The National Helpline can be a first step towards healing for many and a lifeline of support at time of need of others. From there we have seen thousands of victims and survivors go on to seek wider healing and justice.

“We hope that this message will also encourage anyone who has been thinking about making the call to finally go ahead and do it,” said Ms Morrogh.

Anyone affected by sexual violence of any form can get free and confidential support on the 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800 77 8888.

ENDS. 

Confidential, free support on 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 778888

Notes for editors:  

1. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is a non-governmental, voluntary organisation which has as its mission to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of rape. It offers a suite of services to victims/survivors of sexual violence. It also offers a wide range of training and education to professionals and volunteers.  
2. The ‘It Was Never Your fault’ banner will be on display from 7 to 19 April on Liberty Hall, Dublin 1. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is grateful for the support of SIPTU in this campaign.
3. You can download photos of the banner at https://we.tl/t-NH0G6LqcqE7hHF3q - photos by Artem Kulynich and XL Media (labelled respectively).
4. The Signs of Hope campaign platforms powerful messages of hope and encouragement from survivors to others who have not yet reached out for support – learn more at https://www.drcc.ie/signsofhope/
5. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's attitudinal survey data on sexual violence in Ireland from April 2024 is at https://www.drcc.ie/assets/files/pdf/2025_04_briefing_note_drcc_research_on_sexual_violence_final.pdf
6. We-Consent is a long-term national programme to inform, educate and engage with all members of our society about consent. More information and resources at https://www.we-consent.ie/
7. You can donate towards Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s work on drcc.ie/donate
8. Other DRCC services and work: 
   • DRCC operates the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 778888 to support anyone affected by sexual violence in any part of the country. A webchat support service is available online at drcc.ie Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. A Helpline Interpreting Service is available for those who do not speak English - more at https://bit.ly/DRCClang
   • For those contacting the Helpline who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide a text service, operating Mon-Fri from 8am to 6:30pm, at 086-8238443 and we also have a webchat service available Monday-Friday, 10am to 5pm, except holidays.
   • Information on your options after sexual violence is available for free online at any time at drcc.ie/fyw in the Finding Your Way after Sexual Violence guide.
   • DRCC offers counselling & therapy to adult survivors of sexual violence and to older adolescents from 16 years of age with parental/guardian consent.
   • We provide accompaniment support for the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, to court or to Garda stations to people in Dublin and in surrounding areas, by arrangement.   
   • We have outreach offices at Coolock, Dóchas Women’s Centre, Balbriggan & Tallaght. Access to these services must be arranged via the National Helpline 1800 778888 during working hours, Mon-Fri.   
9. We ask that when reporting on this topic, journalists should remember that discussions on sexual violence can trigger personal trauma in those receiving the information. Where possible, please make reference to the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88  for anyone who may be affected by the discussion.