THE Rape Crisis Centre has come under fire after a government report revealed it was declining counselling services to victims on methadone maintenance programmes.

The centre has admitted it has a long-standing policy whereby victims of rape and sexual abuse who suffer from addictions are refused long-term counselling on the basis that it may prove a risk to their recovery.

But speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Tony Geoghegan, CEO of the Merchant's Quay Ireland project who deal with drug addicts, described the policy as "discriminatory."

"There aren't any other similar organisations to the Rape Crisis
Centre and many addiction clinics will work themselves with people who present with sex abuse issues as they would do with other disorders like eating disorders or anxiety attacks," he said.

"There is a debate that goes on within the field: 'can you provide counselling services to someone on methadone given that they are going to be affected in some ways?' Some people, more pur­ists, would say you can't; that they have to be drug-free before you can engage with them but that certainly wouldn't be my feeling."

In its defence, the centre said that it has been actively reviewing the policy for the past 12 months and hopes to begin offering more comprehensive counselling to those with addiction problems on the condition that 'back-up' support is available from other external agencies.

The organisation – which offered counselling to more than 600 rape and sexual abuse victims last year alone – was criticised in a public consultation report ahead of the creation of a new National Drugs Strategy for 2009 to 2016.

During the meeting, several gaps in services relating to drugs were highlighted. One noted: "The Rape Crisis Centre will not provide counselling to women on methadone maintenance. The question was posed as to where these women go for support as a result".

An average of 342 women are raped in Ireland every year.