West Cork Beacon offers free, non judgmental and confidential listening. We provide both information and support services
Domestic Abuse is an umbrella term that can include some or all of the various types of abuse.
It is a pattern of abuse that worsens over time. It is about obtaining power and maintaining control over another. It is present in intimate and dating relationships, particularly between women and men, adult-child to parent and elder abuse.
Sustained abuse chips away at your confidence and self-respect, making you feel humiliated and worthless.
Sexual Violence is an umbrella term that can include some or all of the various types of
sexual abuse.
It is any sexual act which takes place without freely given consent or where someone forces
or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity.
Sexual violence can be perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner, family member, friend,
colleague, acquaintance or a complete stranger. Sexual Violence can happen to anyone at any age.
Rape occurs where a person is subjected, without consent, to an act that involves penetration by another person. Rape isn’t sex, if there is no consent then it’s not sex, it’s rape – no matter the circumstances.
No-one ever deserves or asks for rape to happen. 100% of the blame lies with the perpetrator (the person who carried it out)
The legal definition of rape is very limited and doesn’t always match with the experiences of survivors. We offer support for survivors to use the words that are most meaningful to them
to describe their experiences and can guide them through the terminology should they wish to pursue legal action.
Sexual Assault is an act of physical assault that has a sexual aspect or motivation. It includes unwanted kissing, touching or any non-consensual sexual activity that does not involve penetration.
This is a serious criminal offence. It can have a serious and lasting impact on the survivor.
Aggravated sexual assault is a crime of sexual assault that involves serious violence or threat of serious violence, or that cause injury, humiliation or degradation to a person.
Sexual Harassment is when a person is subjected to unwanted verbal or physical sexual advances or requests for sexual favours. It can make someone feel upset, scared, offended
or humiliated.
Some people believe sexual harassment mainly happens at work, but it can happen anywhere and take many forms.
It includes crude or sexually explicit remarks or language, private sexual images or videos shared without permission, someone exposing themselves physically or showing sexually
explicit photos or pictures, inappropriate sexual advances or physical contact that made the person feel offended, humiliated or offended, or any other sexually inappropriate behaviour
that has affected them in this way.
This form of sexual abuse occurs when a child is used by another person for his or her gratification or sexual arousal, or for that of others.
In Ireland, the age of sexual consent is 17 years and any sexual activity under that age is a crime, regardless of consent. It is unwanted and can involve pressure, manipulation,
bullying, intimidation, threats, deception or force.
Types of sexual offences against children include defilement; the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (called in Irish law 'child pornography'); the sexual exploitation of a child; child trafficking and taking a child for purposes of sexual exploitation; soliciting, importuning or meeting a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Unwanted sexual comments or sexualised contact which takes place on the internet (on social media, message boards, websites, WhatsApp or other online contact) are all
considered to be online sexual harassment.
It is an offence under Irish law to share, or threaten to share, intimate images of a person without their consent, with or without intent to cause harm to the victim. The law also makes
it an offence to send an intimate image purporting or claiming to be of another person even if the image is not actually of them, known as a 'deep fake’.
Cyber flashing is a form of indecent exposure that takes place online. It is when someone
sends a photo or video of their genitals to another person without their consent.
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