Assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sexual Assault Treatment Unit activity

Concurrent with the global COVID-19 pandemic, studies have identified an increased prevalence of sexual and intimate partner violence.1 In the Republic of Ireland, six Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs) provide around-the-clock forensic, physical, preventative and supportive care for people over the age of 14 years who disclose sexual violence. All six SATUs have remained operational without limitation throughout the period of the pandemic. We here summarise the Irish SATU experience for a 10-month period during the pandemic, starting when the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Ireland and comparing our findings with the same time period in 2019.

Comparing attendances between 1 March and 31 December 2019 (pre-COVID) and 1 March and 31 December 2020, we found several notable features of attendances at the SATU network (table 1).

Overall, the number of attendances nationally at the SATUs decreased by 27%. There are several reasons why this…

Read the full article ›