'Three in a thousand child sex crimes prosecuted'

Only three in every one thousand sex crimes against Irish children results in a prosecution, it was claimed today.

Sexual abuse charity One in Four said the startlingly low rate of reporting was the most significant barrier to child protection in the state.

Colm O’Gorman, the organisation’s director, said victims and their families were often left entirely devastated by the processes and bodies they went to for help.

Launching One in Four’s annual report he urged increased support for victims and their families as well as the mandatory treatment of all sex crime perpetrators as part of court sentencing.

“Our criminal justice and child protection systems must work to encourage and enable the reporting of child abuse, rather than simply manage the small percentage of cases currently reported,” he said.

The 2005 report shows a massive surge in the number of victims using the charity’s counselling services.