Child protection - Child safety risks cannot be ignored

DESPITE the fact that the Government insists that it is alert to the grave problem, and occurrence, of child sex abuse, it is dangerously lax in providing the resources to reduce the incidence of it.

So much so that three children’s rights groups have warned that vulnerable minors are at risk, and it is a warning that must not, and cannot be allowed, to be ignored.

It is inconceivable that the Children First Guidelines, which were introduced by the Government seven years ago aimed at reducing child abuse, have not been implemented in some areas because there is a lack of Health Service Executive (HSE) staff.