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	Lots of offenders unpunished due to abusers reluctance to go to police, says One in Four</p>
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	Fewer than 10 per cent of sexual violence victims who contacted the One in Four organisation for help made a criminal complaint to the Garda but a new helpline service may increase the number, it said.</p>
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	One in Four, which supports men and women who have experienced child sexual abuse, said the fact a report of a sexual crime could be made via the new Garda phone service to a &ldquo;trained listener&rdquo; and victims could meet investigating garda&iacute; at a time of the victim&rsquo;s choosing represented progress.</p>
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	&ldquo;Can you imagine having to walk into a Garda station; saying in a busy front office &lsquo;I want to tell somebody about a sexual crime&rsquo;?&rdquo; said One in Four executive director Maeve Lewis.</p>
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	&ldquo;Can you imagine then having to go through the very detailed statement that would have to be made; that will still have to be made? That is a very difficult thing to do.</p>
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	&ldquo;Fewer than 10 per cent of One in Four clients make a complaint to the garda&iacute;, even with all the support we can give them,&rdquo; she said.</p>
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	Impunity</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;That means there are an awful lot of sex offenders walking around with impunity who can continue to abuse others.&rdquo;</p>
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	Her experience of those on sex offender treatment programmes showed that most sex offenders continued abusing until they were caught.</p>
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	&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really hoping this is going to increase the number of people who do go and actually make a complaint to the garda&iacute; and potentially prosecute the offender and potentially make other children safer,&rdquo; she said.</p>
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	The new Child Sexual Abuse Reporting Line was launched by Garda Commissioner N&oacute;ir&iacute;n O&rsquo;Sullivan on Thursday and will take calls relating to current and historical child sex abuse.</p>
<p>
	It was recommended by the Garda Inspectorate almost five years ago but Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan said the infrastructure, including specially trained interviewers and investigators, needed to be put in place first.</p>
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	Those who call the line &ndash; 1800 555222 &ndash; would reach staff working on the service on a 24-hour basis &ldquo;seven days a week, 365 days a year&rdquo;. The service is aimed at creating a compassionate reporting environment and so victims would not need to contact Garda stations.</p>
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	Complaints of sexual abuse, by victims or third parties, would be taken in a sensitive manner and sent to other garda&iacute; for investigation in the relevant region of the State.Reports that required a 999 response would be treated as such.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	(Published by the Irish Times on the 2nd March 2017)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/garda-helpline-offers-trained-listeners-for-sex-abuse-victims-1.2995923">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/garda-helpline-offers-trained-listeners-for-sex-abuse-victims-1.2995923</a></p>
