Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
562. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of reports received of alleged child abuse in respect of children in the home in each of the past three years; the extent to which adequate facilities have been put in place to address the issues arising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31541/17]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy, that is the location at which abuse has occurred, is not collated at a national level by Tusla. Tusla have provided me with a breakdown of the referrals they have received in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The information in the table refers to referrals received by Tusla, and it should be noted that multiple referrals may relate to the same child.
|
Referrals |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Physical abuse |
4,066 |
3,991 |
4,450 |
|
Emotional abuse |
6,233 |
6,535 |
6,871 |
|
Sexual abuse |
3,114 |
2,940 |
3,042 |
|
Neglect |
5,263 |
4,769 |
4,724 |
|
Total |
18,676 |
18,235 |
19,087 |
The Deputy will notice that the vast majority of referrals are for emotional abuse and neglect, possibly indicating abuse within the family setting.
