Access to porn during lockdowns fuels sharp rise in child-on-child sex abuse

The charity found that many children stumbled across pornographic sites during Covid lockdowns, and some acted out scenes on other children, often their own siblings.

A voluntary therapy service has seen a 44% increase in sexual abuse and sexually harmful behaviour on children by children since the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Children at Risk in Ireland (CARI) says many young people who were stuck indoors during the various lockdowns stumbled across pornographic sites and that some acted out scenes on other children, often their own siblings.

The specialist therapy service said its ability to provide crucial and professional help to children who have been sexually abused, and support to their families, has been severely limited by a 160% increase in their waiting list.

It said its waiting list is now at five years, the longest in its 33-year history. 

In a bid to try and ease the problem, CARI is launching an emergency public appeal for funding.

Emer O’Neill, national head of therapy at the charity, told the Irish Examiner, that, as part of its appeal, it examined trends around child sexual abuse since the beginning of the lockdown.

“We have seen an increase of 44% in peer-to-peer abuse and sexually harmful behaviours in children,” she said. “And our waiting list grew by 160% since the advent of Covid and subsequent lockdowns.” 

Increased access to explicit material

She said they believed that children’s increasing use of the internet during lockdowns meant more were coming across explicit material.

“Pornography is a truly toxic but omnipresent phenomenon and sadly children have more and more access to it,” Ms O’Neill said.

“With the advent of Covid, when we all had to live our lives online, we believe that children stumbled across sites. 

"They didn’t necessarily seek them out but they did find them by default, so to speak.” 

She said this was a very worrying and disturbing trend and that they were trying to deal with the consequences of it.

However, she said CARI was struggling to meet the growing demand for its therapy services.

We are running just to stand still at the moment. 

“We’re trying our utmost to get to as many children as possible but our waiting list is making this very difficult.” 

"The terrible irony is we have the therapy rooms, we have the facilities but we need more funding."

She said the empty waiting rooms were leaving children “in pain, in fear and in desperation”.

Bid to raise €100k in 100 days

CARI is launching a public emergency funding appeal in a bid to raise finance €I00,000 in 100 days.

The charity had 254 children on its waiting list last May.

Families generally take a year to go through the therapy process.

CARI estimate it will take five years to clear the lists — but that is not including new referrals.

It relies on State funding from Tusla as well as fundraising.

The body says it has the capacity to see around 52 families per year across its two centres, based in Limerick and Dublin.

If is acquires the necessary funding, it estimates it could clear its waiting list within two years.

See CARI for more information.