A 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused while in the care of a health board has been released onto the streets for being too difficult to contain in a board facility. Labour's spokeswoman on children, Ms oisin Shortall, condemning the State's care services, said a court order was issued for the child to be kept in care until the age of 18. She was left to her own devices and "was taken out by a male relative who sexually abused her on a number of occasions".
However, "a 13-year-old child is being left to her own devices, having been sexually abused, left on the street with no question of any educational or care services being put in place". The State "has abnegated all responsibility for that child and the only promise is the prospect of a hostel bed if she reports to a Garda station. That is a care system that is an absolute disgrace." The TD was speaking on the Children Bill, which passed all stages in the Dail and now goes to the Seanad.