Sir, - It is sad that the Government has decided to postpone further consideration of the mandatory reporting of child abuse for at least three years. This will be of no help to the many children who are now being abused, or at risk of being abused.
While the package of additional child care measures announced by Minister Austin Currie is welcome, none of the proposals gets to the root of the main problem - namely, identifying abusers, particularly sexual abusers, as quickly as possible before they extend their depredations.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has abundant evidence, from the many adult persons seeking its help who have been sexually abused as children, that a single abuser may not only prey on many children but may do so over two generations'. Why should there be "any hesitancy about bringing in measures that would help to finger such abusers as soon as possible?
If, as the Minister suggests, mandatory provisions would probably lead to a huge increase in the volume of reporting and that the present services would be unable to cope, then surely the answer must be an immediate extension of these services? As a society, we owe something more to our children than, in effect, shrugging our shoulders and saying that their adequate protection is beyond us. - Yours, etc.,
Chairman of the Board of the Dublin Rape
Crisis Centre,
52 Parkmore Drive,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.