Few Convictions In Sex Abuse Cases – Report

The support group for victims of sexual abuse, One In Four, has said that only three out of every 1,000 alleged child sexual offences lead to a prosecution or conviction.

At the publication of its annual report, the group said the demand for its services was continuing to grow.

Director Colm O’Gorman said the criminal justice system is not able to respond to society’s needs around crimes like child sexual abuse.

AdvertisementHe said it can ‘at best secure a conviction’, which does not give closure to the victims of abuse, nor does it prevent further crimes being committed.

The group’s annual report shows an increase of 33% in the uptake of services provided by One in Four, as compared to last year.

Mr O’Gorman said the current method of tackling sexual crimes ‘is not working, and it won’t work’, and is advocating a ‘radical rethink of how we respond, and what outcome we want to achieve’.