Critical that every effort is made to mitigate risks of child sexual abuse 

Discomfort amongst some professionals to really confront what is actually going on in these girls’ lives outside the care home can, unfortunately, lead to blaming the children for their own exploitation.

The sexual exploitation of children is a form of sexual abuse where a child or young person under 18 is manipulated, coerced or deceived into sexual activity in return for something they want or need and to the advantage of the perpetrator. 

University College Dublin's Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) latest research reveals the disturbing truth that children and young people in residential care in Ireland, or who go missing from care, are being targeted for sexual exploitation by organised gangs or networks of predatory men.