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A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>The investigation began in mid-2021 against the dark web platform “Alice with Violence CP”. Picture: iStock</p>

news

Europol sting shuts down over 373,000 dark web sites

Many of the sites claimed to be selling child sexual abuse material

<p>When Lisa was 17 years old, after years of torment, she first disclosed the abuse to her then boyfriend, who later gave evidence of this conversation during the trial. File picture</p>

news

‘Keep knocking on doors’: Survivor speaks out after abuser uncle jailed for 12 years

<p>Growing concern about social media and children has led to an EU expert group analysing whether a minimum age for use is needed. File picture</p>

news

'Social media apps exposing young people to addictive algorithms, sexual violence, and gambling'

Woman's report of abuse was rebuffed twice by gardaí, court told, as man gets 12 years for her rape

court and crime

Woman's report of abuse was rebuffed twice by gardaí, court told, as man gets 12 years for her rape

St Patrick’s Day float referencing Epstein files draws condemnation

news

St Patrick’s Day float referencing Epstein files draws condemnation

Mary Crilly to retire from Sexual Violence Centre Cork but says she will continue campaigning

munster

Mary Crilly to retire from Sexual Violence Centre Cork but says she will continue campaigning

'I'm not a victim but a survivor,' says girl sexually abused from the age of six by elderly man

'I'm not a victim but a survivor,' says girl sexually abused from the age of six by elderly man

The 84-year-old man has been jailed for five years for the crimes which he denied

Thu, 05 Mar, 2026

'I was just a young student who wanted to do a medical degree': UCD student's life shattered by abuse images

'I was just a young student who wanted to do a medical degree': UCD student's life shattered by abuse images

In April last year, someone circulated images of the woman's 'naked, bruised, and unconscious' body to university staff through an unidentified ProtonMail account

Thu, 05 Mar, 2026

Thousands protest at UCD over 'naked, bruised' images shared of student

Thousands protest at UCD over 'naked, bruised' images shared of student

Protest follows circulation of explicit image as student alleges lack of university support after reported assault

Wed, 04 Mar, 2026

Snapchat

'Snapchat a haven for paedophiles': Cork sex offender messaged girl hours after prison release

A 15-year ban included prohibitions on him contacting any child under the age of 18 or going within 50 metres of a school or where children congregate

Thu, 26 Feb, 2026

Survivor: 'Meaningless' industrial school apology 'too little, too late'

Survivor: 'Meaningless' industrial school apology 'too little, too late'

Ray Noctor, aged 66 and from Carlow, suffered years of rape, torture and bestiality from the age of 12 to 16 at the hands of teacher David Murray at St Joseph’s Industrial school in Kilkenny

Wed, 25 Feb, 2026

No jail for ex-soldier who possessed 'depraved' images and videos of baby and children

No jail for ex-soldier who possessed 'depraved' images and videos of baby and children

The Limerick man had faced a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in jail, however the judge told Cormac Browne: 'I do not see any advantage to the public to having you incarcerated'

Wed, 25 Feb, 2026

Domestic abuse: Significant inconsistencies in garda responses to domestic violence

Domestic abuse: Significant inconsistencies in garda responses to domestic violence

Advocates are working to improve garda interaction with victims of violence, and reduce delays in getting justice, writes Ann Murphy

Mon, 23 Feb, 2026

Man gets 20 years for sexual abuse of his five children in a 'grotesque breach of parental trust'

Man gets 20 years for sexual abuse of his five children in a 'grotesque breach of parental trust'

The children were also locked in a room for days at a time without food and forced to drink urine

Fri, 20 Feb, 2026

Rape and indecent assault charges against elderly Limerick man reduced from 40 to 11

Rape and indecent assault charges against elderly Limerick man reduced from 40 to 11

The man is accused of indecently assaulting his neighbour between 1972 and 1973 when she was between the ages of 13 and 16 and raping her between 1975 and 1976

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026

FRA-ILLUSTRATION-IA

Grok 'nudify' scandal: Data Protection Commission to investigate X over its AI app

Ireland's data protection watchdog, the lead supervisory authority across the EU/EEA, has announced 'a large-scale inquiry' into X / Twitter's compliance with obligations under the GDPR

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Prisoner XL

Cork equestrian coach who raped 14-year-old girl when he was 62 jailed for nine years

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork that the huge age disparity at the time – 14 years and 62 years – was an aggravating factor

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026

Courts of Criminal Justice, Dublin

'I was an innocent child': Engineer to be sentenced for sexual abuse of six children in Cork and Dublin

The court had heard that the child victims looked up to the defendant as a 'cool older cousin' and that teenagers would often hang out in his home and there was drinking

Thu, 12 Feb, 2026

Therapist couldn't see abused girl, 4, as notes could be 'used against her' by paedophile's lawyer

Therapist couldn't see abused girl, 4, as notes could be 'used against her' by paedophile's lawyer

'Her grandfather, 70 years her senior, inflicted anguish, confusion, fear, trauma, shame and anxiety on our four-year-old toddler.'

Wed, 11 Feb, 2026

Young Girl In Bedroom Worried By Bullying Text Message

Half of children aged 8-12 at risk online with no parental restrictions, survey finds

CyberSafeKids says many children are exposed to the risk of engaging with strangers as it launches its 'Same Rules Apply' campaign

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Close up of a sad young Caucasian woman reading bad news

Gardaí must be trained to identify sex-for-rent offers, Oireachtas told

Coalition urges garda training, victim supports and inclusion of sex-for-rent exploitation in Ireland’s domestic and gender-based violence strategy

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

FRANCE-ELON-MUSK-LAUNCH-GROK-ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE-NEW-VERSION

X spurns TDs and senators as Paris office is raided for allegedly facilitating child abuse images

Google, Meta, and TikTok will be at Oireachtas media committee but — even amid the Grok 'nudification' scandal — Elon Musk's social media company is refusing to show up

Wed, 04 Feb, 2026

Farmer admits sexually assaulting 16-year-old girl on transatlantic flight to Boston

Farmer admits sexually assaulting 16-year-old girl on transatlantic flight to Boston

The court was told that the complainant, now aged 18, is currently studying in a US college

Tue, 03 Feb, 2026

Neil Gaiman

Author Neil Gaiman claims sexual assault allegations are result of ‘smear campaign’

Nine women have come forward to accuse the 65-year-old English author of sexual misconduct

Mon, 02 Feb, 2026

Mother and daughter sitting back to back

Family waited nearly a year for support after girl sexually assaulted by peers

A mother describes an 11-month wait for counselling after her teenage daughter was sexually assaulted, highlighting gaps in State support services

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Matternity hospital rents hotel beds for pregnant women

Ireland's busiest sexual assault treatment unit records 12% rise in cases

Sexual assault treatment units provide 24/7 specialist care to people who have experienced sexual violence, including medical care, forensic examination, evidence storage, and access to psychological support

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

AI prompt chat bot. Search website to generate data, text or image. Man using computer with artificial intelligence app. Virtual

Sexual abuse support service for children raises 'concern' about impact of AI

Rise driven by exposure to online pornography with fears over impact of AI tools

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Former Cork scout leader jailed for indecent assault of boys argues he should have had two separate trials

Former Cork scout leader jailed for indecent assault of boys argues he should have had two separate trials

The argument is that due to the 'circumstances of cruelty' involved in an attack he committed on one boy in a wooded area, the offences against this victim should have been the subject of a separate trial to that concerning four other complainants

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Sad woman

Sharp rise in sexually harmful behaviour among children linked to online exposure

Children at Risk Ireland warns online pornography, grooming and AI imagery are driving a significant rise in harmful sexual behaviour

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Paschal Donohoe resignation

TD tells AI minister X has 'lied' to her about disabling Grok's nudification function

TD Paul Murphy told Niamh Smyth today: 'I just got someone in my office, with my consent, to undress me (using Grok).'

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Woman felt sorry for Cork equestrian coach, aged 62, who raped her, aged 14, until he denied it in court

Woman felt sorry for Cork equestrian coach, aged 62, who raped her, aged 14, until he denied it in court

During his evidence the sports coach described the young woman’s evidence as ‘fantasies’ and ‘insane’

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Prisoner XL

Woman who sexually assaulted her own daughter and let brother rape child gets 15 years

The woman’s brother, the child’s uncle, was also jailed for 15 years for raping the child when she was six years old

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Five juveniles questioned over alleged sexual assault of schoolgirl in Dublin

Five juveniles questioned over alleged sexual assault of schoolgirl in Dublin

It is understood an alleged attacker sent the young girl a video of the assault

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Gardaí investigate sexual assault allegations at Mid-West primary school

Gardaí investigate sexual assault allegations at Mid-West primary school

It is believed the incidents occurred over the duration of several months on school grounds

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Gardaí deport 25 convicted sex offenders in new operation

Gardaí deport 25 convicted sex offenders in new operation

Operation Moonridge targets 'highly dangerous' non-Irish nationals living in the state.

Wed, 21 Jan, 2026

'It should be illegal,' says survivor of child sexual abuse about AI 'nudification' technology

'It should be illegal,' says survivor of child sexual abuse about AI 'nudification' technology

Child protection experts warn AI-generated sexual imagery causes lasting trauma and are urging urgent bans and EU-wide regulation

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

X's AI chatbot Grok

Nudification apps have no legitimate reason to exist, says online reporting platform

Mick Moran, chief executive of Hotline.ie, has also called again for it to be illegal for any AI app to produce child sexual abuse material

Thu, 15 Jan, 2026

Shein stock market float

Shein's childlike sex dolls: French bid to ban illicit trade rejected by court

French consumer regulator found five other platforms — AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Joom, and Temu — were also selling illicit goods

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025

Eamonn Harrison court case

'She told me she was 18, I just kissed her': Extra charge for man accused of sex attack on girl, 10

The man was further charged today with a second count of sexual assault of the same complainant at another location close to Garter Lane

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Young boy seen nasty internet content

Judge voices concerns about children’s unsupervised internet access in child sex abuse case

The boy, who was 13 years old when he sexually abused his six-year-old sister, told gardaí that he first viewed pornography when he was six

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Peter Kelly JAILED CCJ 2

Ex-teacher gets 10 years for indecent assault of eight boys at school run by Spiritan priests

The offences happened over 30 years ago at a private Dublin school

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Undercover police sting in the UK nets Irish engineer with thousands of child sex abuse images

Undercover police sting in the UK nets Irish engineer with thousands of child sex abuse images

Sentencing was adjourned until a date in December

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025

Charity warns Christmas the 'most dangerous' time for children at risk of sexual abuse

Charity warns Christmas the 'most dangerous' time for children at risk of sexual abuse

The ISPCC says 300 children a year make contact about sexual abuse, involving rape, incest and being forced to watch or perform sexual acts, as it launches its Christmas appeal

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Criminal Courts of Justice

Cork man appeals conviction for sexually abusing teenage sister-in-law over prejudice about temper

Barry McDonagh, of Avoncore Bungalows in Midleton was found guilty of 17 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Government awareness campaign a waste of resources, says abuse survivor

Government awareness campaign a waste of resources, says abuse survivor

Paula Kavanagh said: 'How much money is being spent on these awareness campaigns when that funding could be used by the very organisations they’re urging victims to call?'

Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

Psychologists raise alarm over use of victims’ counselling notes in sexual assault trials

Psychologists raise alarm over use of victims’ counselling notes in sexual assault trials

Psychologists and Cork campaigner Mary Crilly warn that disclosing counselling notes in sex offence trials breaches survivor trust and safety

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

'I am living in fear all the time,' says Cork girl ahead of her uncle's sentencing for sexual abuse

'I am living in fear all the time,' says Cork girl ahead of her uncle's sentencing for sexual abuse

The man, now 34, admitted sexually abusing one niece when she was aged eight to 11 or 12, and another when she was aged four

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Sad boy

Record numbers seek help for historical child sex abuse — most of them men

One in Four saw demand for its services increase by 17% last year, with the percentage of male survivors coming forward rising to 62%

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

'Talk to your children': Gardaí warn that kids can easily be snared by online abusers

'Talk to your children': Gardaí warn that kids can easily be snared by online abusers

Gardaí plead with parents to set sensible ground rules as they detail their work tracking down social media sexual abusers and blackmailers

Sat, 18 Oct, 2025

Mommy's Comfort (series)

Gardaí warn that children as young as five are being targeted online for sexual exploitation

Gardaí have identified over 100 Irish child victims of online sexual abuse this year as AI fuels new forms of exploitation

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025