Nearly 30 cases of suspected child sexual exploitation reported last year

Nearly 30 suspected cases of child sexual exploitation were identified by social workers and other staff in Tusla, the State child and family agency, last year, new figures show.

The number of cases where Tusla had concerns children were potentially being sexually exploited increased from 18 in 2021, to 27 last year.

Internal correspondence shows Tusla overhauled how its officials worked with gardaí to respond to incidents of possible exploitation, following a number of “urgent” cases of alleged sexual exploitation of children in care in late 2020.

In the second half of 2020 social workers in Tusla became aware of concerns about the existence of an alleged child exploitation ring that was targeting teenage girls in State care.

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It is understood several underage girls were allegedly groomed and taken to Dublin city hotel rooms, where they were given alcohol and drugs before allegedly being sexually abused by older men.

The girls had been living in residential group homes or hostels for children taken into care by Tusla, sources said.

On foot of the concerns a number of high level meetings took place between gardaí and Tusla officials, while a Garda investigation was launched into the alleged sexual exploitation of the teenage girls.

Minutes of a September 25th, 2020 meeting, stated “recent concerns” about the sexual exploitation of children in care had “necessitated” a new joint plan, for how gardaí and Tusla would identify cases where young people were being exploited.

The overhaul of policy was “due to a number of urgent cases” of suspected exploitation of children in care, Kate Duggan, then-Tusla director of services, said in a 21st October 2020 email.

Under the updated approach gardaí would manage referrals of suspected cases reported by Tusla centrally.

Patricia Finlay, Tusla service director for Dublin Mid Leinster, told colleagues this would allow gardaí to “map the potential patterns/networks nationally” and better spot cases.

The internal correspondence and minutes of meetings were released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act.

Tusla introduced the new policy in January 2021, which covered how social workers, as well as other staff and foster carers, could report concerns about children being sexually exploited.

A spokeswoman for the agency said 45 cases of suspected child sexual exploitation had been identified and reported to gardaí over 2021 and 2022.

The reports covered suspected exploitation of children in care in residential group homes, and young people who were living at home with parents or guardians.

Internal advice provided to Tusla staff said exploitation could include young people being coerced into sex work, or to produce child abuse imagery for older individuals or groups who were grooming them.

The document said red flags a young person might be being exploited could include them having unaccounted for money, or the unexplained use of more than one mobile phone.

Other warning signs included instances where the young person is reported to have been in areas where street sex work was known to take place, or if they were associating with other young people suspected to be at-risk of exploitation.

The spokeswoman said the updated reporting procedure was to “assist Tusla staff and carers in recognising indicators of child sexual exploitation” and to make appropriate reports on foot of concerns.