Young Irish women report rapes every 48 hours while they're on holiday abroad

The shock revelation came as one Irish sexual violence centre urged young Irish women heading to sun spots and so-called party destinations to exercise maximum caution and not to be too trusting of people just because they come from the same background and speak the same language.

Cork Sexual Violence Centre (CSVC) revealed that it has dealt with six reported holiday rapes in the space of less than a fortnight.

All the reported sexual assaults occurred at overseas holiday destinations in the space of a fortnight - and all involved women aged in their teens and early 20s.

The revelation came as it emerged Spanish police were also investigating the alleged rape last month of a young Irish man in a beach resort.

CSVC's Mary Crilly said it was very worrying to see such a concentration of reported rapes involving foreign holidays in such a short timeframe.

Ms Crilly said the women were very distressed by what had happened to them.

Several were on their first overseas holiday without parental supervision.

It is understood that all six separate incidents involved alleged assaults carried out by English-speaking young men who the young women had met on their holiday.

None of the incidents is alleged to have involved men native to the holiday destination - but all alleged assaults were apparently carried out by fellow holidaymakers, either Irish or UK nationals.

"It is very, very worrying," Ms Crilly said.

"We have never experienced anything like this before. So it is a matter of serious concern."

The woman involved were deeply traumatised by their ordeals.