Vetting procedures for people working with children are "grossly inadequate", the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said today.
Following the sentencing of Ian Huntley today for the murder of two girls who attended the school where he worked in Britain, the ISPCC warned that many people working with children in Ireland are not being vetted.
In a statement this evening, the ISPCC said vetting should be put on a statutory basis and called for the introduction of a pre-employment consultancy service similar to that which operates in the North.
The system works by retaining information on anyone accused of sexual assault and rape or have been removed by their employers from posts involving access to children.
Huntley was given two life sentences for the murder of 10-year-olds, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire. The ISPCC said the case a tragedy for the families of the children but also "a child-protection tragedy".
"In order to avoid similar tragedies occurring in Ireland, it is imperative that every possible measure is taken to ensure children are protected and that weak child protection measures are improved," the society said.