Rachel Morrogh

The charity’s chief executive officer, Rachel Morrogh, will collect the award on behalf of DRCC at The Bar of Ireland’s human rights conference on Saturday.

The award recognises the centre’s work in the protection, care, and rights of people affected by sexual violence.

Since 1979, DRCC has worked to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of sexual violence. Its staff and volunteers play a pivotal role in advancing support systems and legal protections for survivors of sexual violence, contributing to vital societal change and legislative reform in Ireland.

Saturday’s conference, At The Margins: Three Priority Areas through a Human Rights Lens, will bring together leading legal minds, academics, and advocates to explore critical human rights issues in housing, prison law, and gender-based violence.

Bar Council chair Seán Guerin SC said: “This conference offers an important platform for dialogue on how the law can and must respond to society’s most pressing human rights challenges.

“As legal practitioners, we have a duty not only to uphold the law but also to critically examine how it interacts with real-life experience.

“The conference allows us to bring together diverse voices from the Bar, civil society and academia to have what will hopefully be worthwhile and productive dialogue.”

He added: “The presentation of the human rights award to Dublin Rape Crisis Centre reminds us of the tireless, often unseen work being done to protect and uphold the dignity of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

“The work of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is invaluable to those on the bench and at The Bar of Ireland, and it should be acknowledged and carefully considered as we continue to examine how the administration of justice can be improved and the rights of all persons sensitively and fairly upheld.”

Ms Morrogh said: “Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is honoured and humbled to receive the prestigious human rights award from The Bar of Ireland.

“The award recognises the transformative impact that our volunteers and staff have on the lives of survivors, and it acknowledges how our work is central to the restoration of human rights breached by acts of sexual violence.

“I am extremely proud that the Bar Council’s human rights committee specifically identified our support for victims of sexual violence in the criminal courts, civil courts, Garda stations, international protection office and the workplace relations commission as having advanced human rights in Ireland.

“I hope that this award will increase awareness of Dublin Rape Crisis’ work amongst people affected by sexual violence and encourage them to access our information and support.

“Equally, I think it is an acknowledgement that navigating the justice system is a very challenging experience for survivors and that further reform is needed to make it truly victim-centred.”

She continued: “Dublin Rape Crisis Centre believes that adopting a human-rights lens to policies and measures that prevent, prosecute and eliminate sexual violence is critical to ensuring all citizens can live full lives.

“In particular, we are increasingly concerned about the expectation that women should put limits on their own freedoms to protect themselves.

“Having specific regard to theme within the conference, relating to violence against women, a society that supports the restriction of one group’s freedom in an attempt to mitigate the behaviour of another group is rationalising into a future where basic human rights are eroded.

“Given what is happening internationally and the normalisation of sexual violence by powerful and influential men, this award could not be a more timely reminder that standing up for justice and truth is more important than ever.”