Family waited nearly a year for support after girl sexually assaulted by peers

A mother describes an 11-month wait for counselling after her teenage daughter was sexually assaulted, highlighting gaps in State support services

For 11 months, Mary and her daughter received no counselling or therapy. File picture

Every second or third day, Mary* was on the phone looking for help for her daughter after she was sexually assaulted, on her birthday, by four boys.

Mary spoke to Barnahus, the State’s specialist child sexual abuse service, but it said it didn’t have the resources to provide counselling.