Lack of services for child abuse victims

Child victims of suspected sex abuse still cannot access timely specialist forensic medical examinations, except in small pockets around the country — and at times, cannot get examinations at all, a leading specialist has warned.

Four years after a HSE-commissioned report urged that concerns must be “addressed urgently”, services remain limited for under 14-year-olds presenting following suspected sexual abuse, said Dr Joanne Nelson, clinical director of the Galway Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service (CASATS).

“Paediatric forensic medical services in Ireland are seldom available outside of working hours even though all available research shows that DNA evidence in pre-pubertal children is very rarely found more than three days after a sexual assault,” Dr Nelson said.

The specialist added that despite “great promises” that services throughout Ireland would be rolled out for under 14-year-olds, nothing has changed.

Dr Nelson said her team in Galway — the CASATS was set up in 2011 to offer a 24-hour service to children in West and Mid West Ireland — has been called to examine children out of hours from Kildare, Westmeath, Louth, Ofally, Cavan and other areas far remote.

Dr Nelson said young people present seeking forensic medical services, but often, no one will examine them in their own area because of a lack of appropriate facilities or expertise.

“An emergency department is not private, forensically clean or suitable to support victims of child sexual abuse. Outside Galway there is usually no dedicated forensic examiner on call.

“They’ll phone around, looking for a suitably trained and available examiner. They might get lucky. If not, a child may wait hours or days for forensic examination in their own locality. Some eventually come to Galway.

“Is it fair or safe to ask children and families to travel long distances, when often deeply emotionally traumatised? The absence of a co-ordinated National Service is sorely felt,” Dr Nelson added.

In Dublin, St Clare’s and St Louise’s units in the children’s hospitals provide services for child victims of sexual abuse but do not routinely provide forensic medical examination services.

Dr Nelson said this is “puzzling” given the risk of sexually transmitted infection in such children.

A spokesperson for the hospitals said the HSE and the seven Hospital Groups are working with TUSLA to develop a national model for the delivery of sexual assault services across the region.