Child abuse - HSE failing our abused children

The highlighting of the sexual abuse of children in recent years has brought the topic more into the open.

Now there are reports that children as young as 10 have been expressing a desire to die as a result of child abuse. This is unquestionably a cry for help, but there are grounds for suspecting that the Health Service Executive (HSE) is failing to provide the necessary help in a timely manner.

The annual report of Children at Risk in Ireland (Cari), which is due to be published tomorrow, shows that there has been a 10% increase in the number of calls to the organisation’s helpline.

A particularly disturbing aspect has been the increased in cases of sexualised behaviour involving children as young as six or seven years of age.

While the sexual abuse of children must be deplored, the increase in calls to the Cari helpline is evidence of the organisation’s growing effectiveness. Child abuse is not a new phenomenon.

It has existed for decades, but it was hidden and even ignored for a long time. It is a therefore a welcome sign that more people are now prepared to confront the issue, but it is not being matched by the professional response on behalf of the bureaucratic establishment.

The services offered by the HSE are satisfactory in many ways, but Cari is deeply concerned over the lengthy waiting time for the psychological assessment of children who have expressed a wish to die. It is horrendous that a child who has exhibited suicidal tendencies should be denied prompt access to the professional services needed.

Such delays seriously complicate problems not only for the vulnerable children but also for the therapists who eventually have to work with them. Promptness in dealing with such problems should be of the essence for all concerned.

Even when help is provided, the number of “inconclusive” assessments in relation to child sexual abuse cases compounds the overall problem. The Cari report highlights the instances of inclusive assessments in cases where the alleged abuser is a parent of the child. Such children are the most vulnerable of all, but the report also noted instances in which children have been demonised.

In 2004 the HSE dealt with 6,188 complaints of child abuse. More than 13.6%, or 843 the subsequent investigations, were deemed inconclusive. But more than 57% of the investigations were still continuing last year.

The issue of sexualised behaviour of children has been the top ranked concern of parents contacting Cari. The problem represented 18% of the complaints.

A growing number of parents and carers have been contacting the organisation with concerns over explicit sexual messages and images found on the mobile telephones of their children. The organisation has also received an increasing number of complaints about unsuitable material in Internet chat rooms and on websites.

There is probably no area in which the generation gap is more apparent than in matters relating to the internet.

Children are frequently more adept is using computers than their parents, but parents should be aware of the need to supervise the activities of their children on the internet.