Irish Red Cross sued by woman allegedly abused as teenager by volunteer

The Irish Red Cross is facing a legal case from a young woman who alleges she was sexually abused by a male volunteer in the humanitarian organisation when she was a teenager.

It is understood the alleged sexual abuse took place in recent years when the girl was in her mid-teens and the alleged perpetrator was an adult male involved in the organisation. Court records show a civil case was lodged against the charity in the High Court in early November.

In a statement, the Irish Red Cross confirmed it had been notified a legal case was being taken against the charity, “arising from an allegation of historic abuse within the organisation dating from the 2015-2017 period”.

The Irish Red Cross said it was first notified that legal proceedings were being filed against the organisation in late September.

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In response, it said the alleged abuse “was referred to the organisation’s safeguarding structures, and these structures have liaised with the statutory authorities as appropriate”. It said “the Irish Red Cross stands ready to provide any assistance required by the statutory authorities in relation to their work”.

“The Irish Red Cross takes seriously any such allegations, and is committed to ensuring the safety of all people who engage with the organisation, including all our members and volunteers,” the charity stated. It said all its staff and volunteers were required to be Garda-vetted and to undergo safeguarding training.

“As the current allegations relate to an ongoing legal matter, the organisation will not be commenting further at this time,” the statement said.

The alleged victim is being represented by Pearse Mehigan & Co Solicitors, which specialises in abuse cases. Pearse Mehigan, the principal solicitor in the law firm, said he could not comment on the case when contacted.

Last year the Irish Red Cross paid a financial settlement to a woman who alleged she had been sexually assaulted by an employee of the charity while the pair were working at an event. The woman alleged a male co-worker had sexually assaulted her while they were working for the Irish Red Cross at a festival in 2014, sources said.

High Court records show the legal case taken by the woman was discontinued last December, following an agreement by the organisation to pay the complainant a financial settlement.

The Irish Red Cross reported a massive increase in its income last year from €7.6 million to more than €53 million, buoyed by a huge surge in donations to a humanitarian appeal in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The charity’s Ukraine appeal raised €42 million last year, about half of which was carried over to be spent between 2023 and 2025, its annual report stated.

The organisation said that, in line with its fundraising policy, a charge of 7 per cent had been taken from the funds raised to be put towards “governance, operational quality and compliance and oversight”.

The organisation said this amounted to €2.9 million, which its board had ringfenced for a “growth and sustainability fund” to support the charity. It also received €2.7 million in grant funding from public bodies last year.

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