Sexual abuse of children is generally seen as something perpetrated by men but women are also sexually abusing children, a conference in Dublin was told yesterday.
Olive Travers, chairwoman of the National Organisation for Treatment of Abusers, said a telephone poll of those providing services to perpetrators of abuse and victims of abuse across the State over the past year found service providers were aware of 15 female offenders - seven of them adult females, five of them adolescent girls and three of them 12-year-old girls. They offended against male and female children.
"Our understanding is that is just the tip of the iceberg."
Ms Travers said internationally it was estimated that between 1 per cent and 10 per cent of those perpetrating sexual abuse against children were women.
There were no official statistics for Ireland and no women in the State had been prosecuted for sexually abusing a child, she said. The fact that women could be abusers was more recognised in other countries than in the Republic.
"We have had a huge difficulty in this country in recognising women as sexual beings and the jump to not only recognising women as sexual beings but women who are capable of sexually harming others is a huge one for this society, with our very particular images of women through the church. We professionals have to take the lead in our ability to accept this as fact and to ask the right questions before in turn society as a whole can come to terms with it..."
The conference was organised by the Cari Foundation, a charity providing therapy to those affected by child sexual abuse. Clinical director Majella Ryan said victims of sexual abuse at the hands of women could contact the Cari helpline on 1890 924567.
"Because it is so rarely talked about it makes it much more difficult for the victim to come forward," she said.