Over 12,300 contacts were made to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's (DRCC) National 24-hour Helpline last year, an increase on 2015's figure.

According to the centre's Annual Report and Statistics 2016, a total of 12,388 contacts were made to the helpline via phone, email, text or social media, and around half of these were first-time contacts.

Over 40% of contacts made to the helpline related to adult rape, while a similar percentage related to childhood sexual abuse.

Just over 22% of contacts were male and callers were aged from 15 years upwards. Some 67% of callers were from Dublin.

"Compared with 2015, 2016 showed a striking increase in the number of callers and clients who had experienced recent rape and sexual assault. There was a 24% increase in our calls, while half of the new clients that we saw in 2016 had experienced recent rape or sexual assault," explained DRCC head of clinical services, Angela McCarthy.

The report revealed that 495 clients were seen last year for individual counselling, while 144 group therapy hours were provided. Over half of people who attended therapy (54%) were victims of adult rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment and 33% of these also reported experiencing other forms of violence in addition to the main abuse.

Meanwhile, 262 people were accompanied to the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, court or Garda stations by DRCC volunteers in 2016.

The report noted that in cases of adult rape or sexual assault that were disclosed by clients, the offender was known to the victim in around 70% of cases. In 17% of cases, it was the victim's partner or boyfriend.

In cases of childhood sexual abuse, the offender was known to the victim in 91% of cases. In 27% of cases, the offender was a parent or sibling and in 23% of cases, it was another relative.

Eleven female clients disclosed to the DRCC last year that they had become pregnant as a result of rape. Four of these had gone on to parent the child, while three had terminated their pregnancies. One had miscarried their baby, one had put their child up for adoption and one had their child fostered. The outcome in the final case was unknown.

Commenting on the figures, DRCC chairperson, Ann Marie Gill, welcomed the increase in contacts to the centre as this suggests that more people are reporting sexual violence.

"However while these figures are an indication of the need that exists to tackle sexual violence, we still need much more thorough, comprehensive data than is currently available to really understand how to tackle the problem. The centre is calling on the Government to undertake the necessary research," she commented.

Meanwhile DRCC chief executive, Noeline Blackwell, highlighted the high number of young people making contact with the centre. Around 30% of contacts last year were made by people aged 29 and under and consent continues to be a big issue among this group.

"A youth worker quoted in our report says that young people are really lost when it comes to consent. Our therapists see the same thing. As a society, we must be stronger in our intolerance of non-consensual behaviour. We must build a wide-ranging understanding that non-consensual sex is always rape," Ms Blackwell said.

The National 24-hour Helpline can be contacted by phone at 1800 77 88 88. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, a text service is provided Monday to Friday between 8am and 6.30pm on 086 823 8443.

For more information on the DRCC, click here