asked the Minister for Health the number of cases of child sex abuse in each health board area in the last three years; and the steps he has taken to deal with the problem.
Written Answers. - Child Sexual Abuse.
94.
The figures requested by the Deputy are set out in the following tabular statement:
Confirmed Child Sexual Abuse in cases Reported to Health Boards 1983-85
|
Health Board |
1983 |
1984 |
1985 |
|
Eastern |
21 |
11 |
42 |
|
Midland |
4 |
1 |
22 |
|
Mid-Western |
3 |
2 |
14 |
|
North-Eastern |
3 |
6 |
30 |
|
North-Western |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
South-Eastern |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Southern |
1 |
0 |
18 |
|
Western |
3 |
8 |
2 |
|
37 |
33 |
133 |
Revised guidelines on procedures for the identification, investigation and management of non-accidental injury (including sexual abuse) to children were issued by my Department in February 1983.
More recently I have given a grant of £25,000 to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties for the purpose of carrying out a research project into child sexual abuse. The ICCL has set up a working party to carry out the research and expect to present their findings in the coming months. And finally, in March of this year an informal working group, composed of representatives from community care services, paediatrics, child psychiatry, the Garda and other agencies working with this problem, was established by my Department to review the present arrangements for the assessment, management and treatment of child sexual abuse in the Eastern Health Board area. I will be reviewing overall policy in relation to child sexual abuse as soon as the report of the working group is available, which, together with the ICCL research, should be of considerable assistance in determining what further action should be taken in this whole area.