Victims of sexual abuse and sexual violence need more support outside the criminal justice system, the One-In-Four group said today.
Speaking at the annual report of the national charity, director Colm O'Gorman said: "We must look beyond the criminal justice system alone and do much more to support victims, families and communities and treat perpetrators."
He said the criminal justice system was limited in how it can provide victim support. "Only three in every thousand sexual offences perpetrated upon a child in Ireland results in a prosecution," he said.
Mr O'Gorman said that assessment of treatment of perpetrators of sexual abuse was a "crucial child protection response".
"If the only response we can offer as a society in such cases is to occasionally prosecute perpetrators and fail to put in place therapeutic interventions for victims of abuse and other family members, including the perpetrator or perpetrators, then we have failed to meet their needs or act to prevent further harm," said Mr O'Gorman.
The number of people accessing One-In-Four services in 2006 rose by 33 per cent on the previous year.
The report also showed an increase of 46 per cent in the number of one-on-one psychotherapy sessions provided by the charity.