Gardaí are pursuing more than 30 active investigations into the suspected grooming and sexual exploitation of children in the care of the State.
Sexual exploitation of vulnerable children in the care system has in recent years become a significant concern for Tusla, the child and family agency, with a dedicated Garda operation set up to investigate suspected cases.
In a number of instances social care staff have encountered cases of teenage girls being groomed with gifts and money, by male perpetrators who later coerce them into carrying out sexual acts with other men.
Ruth Breslin, director of the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute, said children in care were at particular risk of being targeted by older men, groomed and then sexually exploited.
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“The grooming can take a number of different forms but often involves befriending the young person and showering them with gifts and attention to begin with,” she said.
In some cases the girl was convinced they were in a relationship with the man exploiting them, she said. “The dark side of this is that the perpetrator requires the girl to provide sex acts to his friends and acquaintances. The girl may ‘comply’ because she fears the perpetrator, or truly does believe that he has her best interests at heart,” Ms Breslin said.
There are currently about 5,800 children in State care. The vast majority live with foster carers, but some 530 young people live in group care homes, run by either Tusla or private companies.
New figures from Tusla show social workers and other care staff reported 28 cases to gardaí last year, where they feared children in care were being sexually exploited. A further 20 reports were made about the suspected exploitation of children who were not in the care system.
A spokesman for Tusla said the agency was “acutely aware” of the increased risk of child exploitation facing vulnerable young people. A “centralised” system to flag suspected cases to gardaí had been introduced, he said.
As part of the State’s efforts to tackle the problem, An Garda Síochána set up a dedicated operation to investigate the sexual exploitation of children in care.
There are currently 36 criminal investigations ongoing as part of the operation, a Garda spokesman confirmed. “An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide any further information at this time,” he said.
A number of children Tusla suspected were being sexually exploited were unable to be accommodated in secure units for their own safety in recent years, due to a lack of available places.
As a result of staffing shortages, Tusla is currently able to operate only 14 of the 26 beds in these specialist care units, where children can be detained by a court order, if they are facing grave risks to their safety.
Wayne Stanley, chief executive of Epic, an organisation that advocates for children in care, said he was deeply concerned for the children waiting for a special care bed to open up. “It can only be described as shocking that we continue to see cases where a child is at such risk a court has decided to take their liberty away, but the State is not able to provide that protection,” he said.
