Abuse victims may be quizzed by abuser

A document from Tusla, outlining how social workers should respond to allegations of child abuse and neglect, opens the way for an alleged abuser to cross-examine his or her victim.

The draft document, seen by the Irish Examiner and posted on our website today, has caused uproar among social workers who fear it will compromise them ethically and deter victims from coming forward, such is the emphasis on protecting the rights of the alleged abuser.

Social workers who spoke to the Irish Examiner on condition of anonymity said that while they recognised the right to fair procedure, “the balance of rights seems far too weighted on the side of the alleged perpetrator in this policy”.