The findings of a report warning of the prevalence of the sexual exploitation of children in care are to be reviewed, the Minister for Finance has said.
The report, titled Protecting Against Predators: A Scoping Study On The Sexual Exploitation Of Children and Young People In Ireland, warns about the targeting and sexual exploitation of children and teenagers in the care of the State by co-ordinated gangs.
It has highlighted the higher prevalence of sexual exploitation and makes a number of recommendations, including a national policy on protecting children, an audit of residential care homes and training for care staff and for gardai.
The report, by The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) at University College Dublin, has sparked wide concern, with the charity Barnardos contending that the government is failing in its obligation to protect children in their care from dangers such as sexual exploitation.
Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said there should be an urgent investigation to ensure that the children at the centre of this report have been referred to Tusla and the gardaí.
“We know that these bodies have investigated over 30 cases but given the severity of this issue, and the irrevocably impact sexual exploitation has on a child, we need to make sure that no child or young person has slipped through the net,” she said.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik raised the report with Minister for Finance Michael McGrath during leaders questions in the Dáil on Thursday.
She described the report as “very distressing reading”, and said she wanted to raise serious concerns around child protection and children’s welfare that have been highlighted.
“It appears to be systemic and orchestrated abuse and it’s an appalling, appalling finding,” she said.
She pressed the minister how many cases of suspected abuse of children in state care were passed on to Tusla and the gardaí, whether Government is monitoring these cases and urged him to address funding problems reported by Tusla which leave children “so exposed to exploitation”.
Responding Mr McGrath described the report findings are “deeply shocking” and disturbing, and pledged it will be treated with the “utmost seriousness”.
He said the Department of Children is working closely with Tusla senior management and will prioritise a review of the findings of the scoping study and its recommendations “in the immediate period ahead”.
He also said a “close liaison into the study’s findings” will take place between Tusla and An Garda Síochána, and the Department for Children and the Department of Justice will work together to review the findings.
“The study is a very important piece of research into the sexual exploitation of children by potential organised groups of predatory men in our society,” he said.
“I acknowledge that the scoping study outline, interviews as part of the research took place three years ago … in the interim period, a number of important developments have taken place in this area as a key priority to assist with reporting of child sexual exploitation and I’ve got a whole list of measures laid out here by the department steps that have been taken since then but I don’t think it’s really the day to be going to those.
“I acknowledge the scoping study, the contents are shocking.”
He said the needs are growing as society becomes more diverse, more complex and more minors come into Ireland.
“But one of the first and most important duties of any state is to protect our children and we would certainly work with you, key stakeholders to make sure that the study is very carefully examined and is responded to in the most forceful way possibly can.”
