There's been a rise in the number of men seeking sexual assault treatment in Cork city.
The increase comes as the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit is experiencing a surge in the numbers presenting at the unit.
90 people have contacted the unit so far this year - double the number of people seen in the same period last year.
11 men have attended the unit so far this year and while the head of SATU in the city Margo Noonan says this may sound like a low number typically they would only have seen three men by this stage of the year.
Speaking to RedFM News Margo Noonan says the rise shows that men are acknowledging that if they are affected by sexual violence that they will need expert help:
"Well, for the month of May, we had nine men. I think last year, we had six, seven men overall, the whole year. I think we are up to about 11 men so far this year, which may not sound huge, but when you look back, some years we never had a man come into the unit, or we may have had two. So it's phenomenal that the message is getting out there, that this is an issue for both men and women, and that the service is there for them and they need as much help as what women do. If you are affected by sexual violence, you will have the same physical and mental, psychological impact so it's important to reach out and get out".
