A trained dog could be able to accompany child victims of sex abuse when giving evidence in a criminal trial thanks to a new pilot project which would be a first in this country.

Political parties are being urged to back €600,000 in funding to clear a year-plus- long therapy waiting list for children who have been sexually abused.

Concerns that indecent images of children shared online are often taken by children themselves have been raised after a UK watchdog found that 30% of these types of images were user-generated.

The children's ombudsman has described as “absolutely despicable” the length of time it took to set up the country's first multi-agency centre for sexually abused children.

Delays in providing treatment and support for children and teenagers who have experienced sexual assault are seriously detrimental to their recovery, a leading psychotherapist was warned.

The 'Onehouse' in Galway brings together all the necessary medical, therapeutic and policing services for children in one location.

Vodafone Ireland and three retailers have pleaded guilty to sending unsolicited marketing emails and text messages.

Property values have moved on since Dutchman Peter Minuit bought Manhattan Island from unnamed Native Americans for 60 guilders in 1626.

Issues raised over lack of forensic examination units nationwide

The State’s national body tasked with developing services for victims of child sexual abuse has not met since October 2016.

Update 9.18pm: Gardaí investigating the alleged sexual exploitation of children in Munster have released a man without charge.

A charity helping children who have been sexually abused has said that the delay victims face in accessing therapy is unacceptable.

Sexually abused children and their families are being subjected to “additional trauma” by having to wait an estimated five years before their court case is completed, according to a national therapy service, Cari.

Gardaí say there is “no doubt” that paedophiles in Ireland will import child sex dolls — and may already be doing so — and are examining if these objects are covered under Irish criminal laws.

The lack of dedicated sexual assault treatment units for children is adding “immensely” to the trauma of families trying to deal with child sex abuse.

Cormac O'Keefe examines the lack of sexual assault treatment units and the need for more sexual health and aftercare services nationwide.

The Child and Family Agency has said it is open to redirecting funding into the areas of most need but could not confirm that an organisation helping sexually abused children will get the money it says it needs to clear a therapy backlog.

Gardaí have been forced to widen their search for the mother of a baby girl whose body was found among waste on a sorting conveyor after an autopsy revealed that the baby was born some weeks earlier than initially thought.

A contractor says he negotiated with an Australian TV network to snatch two Lebanese-Australian children from their father's family in Beirut, but the network chose a cheaper option.

Apologies by governments for historical child sexual abuse “ring hollow” when children continue to be abused by the system, a leading charity has said.

The country’s specialist charity for child sex abuse victims has seen a 43% rise in the number of assaults on children perpetrated by children.

One of the country’s main groups for helping victims of sexual abuse has called the lack of services available “a national scandal” as it faces the prospect of not being able to accept new clients for up to four months amid mounting waiting lists for services.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has insisted her department and agencies are taking “robust measures” to protect children using the internet.

Young people are being warned that, once they upload sexualised images or videos of themselves online, they no longer have any control over what happens to them.

More than a third of children sexually assaulted or raped are attacked by another minor, it has emerged.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald is driving what has been described as the most ambitious, comprehensive reform of child and family services ever undertaken in Ireland.

A groundbreaking report on child rape and sexual abuse shows the average age of an offender is 26, over a third of abusers are children, and family members pose the greatest threat to children — not ‘stranger danger’.

Children are no match for adults intent on harming them and they need to know that from an early age, a leading children’s charity has warned.

Early sexualisation of children and easy access to online pornography have been blamed by a leading children’s charity for a dramatic increase in rapes and sexual assaults against minors.

Children’s abuse group CARI saw a marked increase in calls about rape and sexual assault last year — while it has been forced to cut services due to lack of funding.

Convicted criminals and suspects detained as part of serious criminal investigations are to be compelled, by force if necessary, to provide DNA samples for a new national database.

A charity that provides therapy to children who are victims of sexual abuse is calling for their counselling notes not to be used in criminal trials.

More than 3,000 children who reported they were sexually abused last year cannot access therapy from the HSE — unless they live in Dublin or Limerick.

Sharp increases in sex crimes by juveniles is part of a wider sexualisation of children, according to a leading charity.

Cassie Moore’s earliest childhood memories are of being abused by her stepfather.

The HSE pays approximately €18m a year on legal representation in cases involving children, a sum its national director of children and family services has said may be unnecessary.

Children At Risk in Ireland (Cari), which treats victims of sexual abuse, has said it fears for the future of some services if it undergoes any further cuts to its funding.

The number of parents contacting the Children At Risk in Ireland (CARI) helpline with concerns about their young child's sexualised behaviour increased by 57% last year.

The number of parents contacting a therapy and counselling service due to their young child’s sexualised behaviour has jumped by over 70% in the past year.

THE country’s only dedicated 24-hour examination service for child sexual assault victims dealt with more than one child a week last year — the youngest of whom was aged 18 months.

ONLY one in 80 perpetrators of child sexual abuse end up with a conviction, a leading survivors’ organisation has claimed.

TEENAGERS are being targeted and sexually abused the same way as adult women, according to a report.

CARI, the voluntary support body providing therapy and support to those affected by child sexual abuse, has reported 1,417 calls to their helpline over the past year.

THE marked upsurge in demand for access to the confidential therapeutic files of children in therapy for sexual abuse is a worrying development that ought to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

DEFENCE solicitors in child abuse cases which go to court are increasingly looking for therapy notes in a bid to “get their client off the hook”, a children’s support group has said.

THERE has been a widespread welcome from children’s groups to the announcement by the new Minister for Children that she will be removing child protection services from the HSE and establishing a stand-alone agency.