321 reports of child sexual abuse reported to Tusla in one month

According to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, one in every two children who are sexually abused suffers it at the hands of their own family.

There were 3,480 official reports of child sexual abuse logged in 2021, according to Tusla.

In the same year, there were nearly 4,500 reports of physical abuse logged with the agency.

A further 321 reports of child sex abuse were received in January 2022.

Noeline Blackwell, chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said her organisation often refers child sex abuse claims to Tusla.

"These are reports that are sent in by our councillors if they reasonably suspect that a child may be at risk of sexual abuse," she said.

"Typically for us, because we mainly deal with adults, somebody will be telling us about abuse that happened some time ago. We still report it and it is up to Tusla to deal with it after that."

According to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, one in every two children who are sexually abused suffers it at the hands of their own family.

Ms Blackwell said the abuse will often take place within the victim's home.

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.