A civic reception at City Hall has heard the Sexual Violence Centre has changed the way that sexual violence is dealt with in Ireland.
Mary Crilly and the team at the centre were honoured for their work in "driving societal change" and changing the response to violence against women over the past forty years.
The centre was established as the Cork Rape Crisis Centre in 1983 and has provided support to over 10,000 people since then.
Deputising for the Lord Mayor at last nights civic reception, Cllr Colette Finn said the group had "made it through every storm and kept going" and are making a difference every day.
Speaking to RedFM News, Mary Crilly says she wants every victim of abuse to know that what happened to them wasn't their fault and says she will always be involved in the groups campaigns:
"Rape crisis centres are so overwhelmed with the amount of people looking for support and looking counselling and as a result campaigns are often being put to one side but I think they should be foremost because only 10% of people will ever come in. There is a thing that if something happens in your life you have to have counselling, you don't, you have to have a good friend you have to feel it wasn't your fault, you have to get rid of the shame and the guilt. And for those who don't come in I would love to be able to change the victim blaming the fact that they can get through their lives knowing that this horrific thing has happened to them but it wasn't their fault That's what I would love my legacy to be - to get rid of the victim blaming"
