Dáil debates
Thursday, 22 June 2023
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Child Abuse
4:05 pm
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Acting Chair for allowing me to raise this issue. To say the least this is a very disturbing development. We have all read in the newspapers about the activity of predators who seem to be able to gain access to residential care areas. Alarming is one way to describe this. To my mind it is without precedent. After all, there are several agencies that could have responsibility for dealing with this kind of situation. Were it not for UCD carrying out a report, we probably would not know about it at all. There are serious connotations here for the well-being and lives of the young women and girls who are in the residential care homes. It appears that a number of people, apparently organised, have ready access and seem to be able to come and go at will and are using the residents there for sexual pleasure, for their purposes. The residents were referred to those homes in the first place for care, protection and attention. It undermines public confidence in the level of care and supervision. Some people seem to have had easy access in meeting up and interacting with the residents in the care homes. We heard earlier tonight about various other incidents throughout the country that are abhorrent. This situation is equally abhorrent. Whatever the reason for their being referred to residential care, the young women and girls are as entitled to fair and equal attention to everybody else. They should be free to reside there without threat, without trafficking for want of a better description, and with clear knowledge that there are carers who have their care in mind.
The situation now emerging raises the question as to what else is happening. How could such a thing happen on an organised basis? Who is responsible? To whom now do we refer? First we have to refer to the agencies that referred the women to such institutions. They are supposed to have some knowledge as to how to deal with a situation such as has been reported in the newspapers. How do we know about the next group of people who are likely to be referred to residential care? Who is in charge? Who determines the level of support and comfort that is supposed to be available to people in that vulnerable situation? Why do we not know about these things well in advance?
Such situations arise because something goes wrong. They arise when predators become aware of the possibility of becoming involved for their benefit. When something goes wrong to the extent that nobody is responsible and nobody comes forward and says it should not have happened and that action is being taken to ensure it does not happen again, we have to ask more serious questions.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his submission. The Minster, Deputy O’Gorman, given his responsibility for children, is committed to upholding their best interests in all situations. Ireland, like many other countries, has recognised the child’s right to protection from sexual exploitation by ratifying a number of legal instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Convention. Tusla completes a notification of any suspected child sexual exploitation to An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána leads the investigation into each such notification of child sexual exploitation. Tusla liaises closely with An Garda Síochána and has an assigned principal social worker based with Garda national protective services. Joint close analysis and assessment is made by both Tusla and An Garda Síochána of each notification of child sexual abuse particularly of children in State care.
The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman welcomes the scoping study on the sexual exploitation of children and young people in Ireland conducted by UCD and is concerned about the findings outlined within. I am aware that his Department is working closely with Tusla senior management on the subject of child sexual exploitation and will prioritise a review of the findings of this scoping study and its recommendations in the immediate period ahead. The study is an important piece of research into the sexual exploitation of children by potentially organised groups of predatory men in our society and close liaison into the study’s findings will also take place by Tusla with An Garda Síochána. The Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth will also work with the Department of Justice to review the findings and recommendations of this report.
A number of key developments have taken place in this area in recent years to assist with the reporting of child sexual exploitation. These developments include the following. Tusla implemented its child exploitation procedure in 2021, in partnership with An Garda Síochána, which provides Tusla staff and carers with information on how to recognise indicators of child sexual exploitation, how to make appropriate referrals and how to respond to cases where children may be at risk of sexual exploitation. The joint working protocol between Tusla and An Garda Síochána forms a critical part of the responses to child abuse and neglect, particularly in relation to child sexual exploitation. Tusla has established an anti-trafficking working group in readiness for the Department of Justice national action plan to prevent and combat trafficking of human beings, which includes the area of child sexual exploitation.
Recently, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Tusla jointly established a working group which looks at institutional and organisational abuse. This includes reviewing criteria for a definition of such abuse and also reviewing further supports and guidance for staff around any potential indicators of child sexual exploitation of children in State care. In addition, Tusla is taking a range of initiatives jointly with the HSE on information, research and guidance on how to identify child sexual exploitation. Children First Information advisory officers are developing a range of new procedures regarding online safety. These are expected to be introduced in the coming months. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is also leading an interdepartmental group on the national implementation of Barnahus, which is a multi-agency approach to the provision of intervention and services to children subject to child sexual abuse. A pilot has been operational in Barnahus, west Galway, for the past number of years, with additional centres planned to be established in the east and south of the country. I urge anyone who has a concern in respect of child sexual exploitation to report the matter either to Tusla or An Garda Síochána.
4:15 pm
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, contacted my office to indicate he was unable to be in attendance, and I accept that. This issue is serious and needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Action needs to be taken as quickly as possible as well. I note the reference to a number of agencies that have responsibilities. That is the worst possible situation, where a number of agencies confer together to ensure they provide the best possible service arising from their conference. The situation is wholly unacceptable because no one person or organisation is responsible and no one report is made to an agency, person, individual or court. Nobody does that.
When children or women are under its care, the State has an obligation to ensure that the most rigid rules apply. No predator, young or old, has the right to take poetic licence to make, abuse or bypass the law of the land to get self-gratification in a particular situation, such as has been described.
I accept the Minister of State is bona fides in relation to this matter but let us not forget one thing. All men, women and children have parents and there is a concern among parents. Somebody may ask how these young women arrived in care homes. They arrived for different reasons. They have been referred to care homes, presumably by the HSE or in some cases by the courts. I am not so certain but one thing that is certain is that something must be done urgent. When we wake up tomorrow morning, and they all wake up tomorrow morning, there must be a new rule on the door, one which says "You shall not pass here; this will not continue." I thank the Minister of State again for his comprehensive reply.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, as the responsible Minister, welcomes the important research to which I referred. His Department and the Department of Justice will work together to review the matters raised and the recommendations set out. As I mentioned, Tusla and An Garda Síochána will also review the findings outlined in the report. While a number of developments have taken place in recent years to assist with the identification and reporting of child sexual exploitation, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will continue to work closely with Tusla on this important issue.