Only Three In A Thousand Face Prosecution

Harney And One In Four Launch New Report On Sexual Violence In Ireland

One in Four, the national charity which supports women and men who have experienced sexual violence, called for a broader and more considered approach to the issue of sexual violence on Monday.

Speaking at the launch of the organisation's annual report for 2005 by Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney TD, One in Four's Director Colm O'Gorman said, "Government and those working in the area need to work to develop broader and more considered responses to sexual violence. If we are to effectively address this issue we must ensure that we develop approaches and services which work to meet the needs of victims of abuse, their families and communities and which recognise that perpetrator treatment is an essential child protection measure."

"Only three in every one thousand sexual offences perpetrated upon children in Ireland lead to a prosecution; the greatest bar to child protection and abuse prevention is the low rate of reporting and prosecution. Even where reports are made and prosecutions result, those most impacted upon, victims and their families, are often left entirely devastated by their engagement with the very systems to which they turned for help. If we are to properly address sexual violence and child abuse we need to reform and refine both our criminal justice and child protection systems to ensure that those affected by child abuse feel more able to report."

One in Four is calling for increased provision of services to victims of abuse, support for families affected by abuse and a greater focus on perpetrator treatment as a child protection response.

"Our criminal justice and child protection systems must work to encourage and enable the reporting of child abuse, rather than simply manage the small percentage of cases currently reported", said O'Gorman.