TUSLA CHILDREN TARGETED BY CRIME GANGS FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION A report in today’s Irish Daily Mail by Sarah Slater warns that organised crime groups are deliberately targeting vulnerable girls in the care of Tusla and sexually exploiting them. Ruth Breslin, head of the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute (SERP), said girls in residential care are being identified by criminals, invited to parties and plied with alcohol and drugs before being taken to private residences or hotels where groups of men may be waiting. In some cases, she said, men pay for sexual access to the children. Breslin said the recent case of a 14-year-old girl subjected to “horrifying” sexual exploitation by several men was not isolated. Research carried out by SERP in 2022 had identified similar concerns, particularly involving vulnerable children in State care. She also pointed to criminal exploitation affecting boys, saying some young people are drawn into drug dealing and controlled through debt, threats or fear. Garda sources told the newspaper that cases involving teenagers in State care include alleged “sextorting” after contact through dating apps and girls becoming caught up in the drugs trade before being sexually exploited to pay off debts. One source described an online “subculture” in which some perpetrators meet through forums and dating apps. The report follows revelations about the 14-year-old girl for whom the High Court ordered special care but for whom a secure placement could not be found. Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that the Government was working on the case and said staffing shortages in specialised care facilities remained a fundamental problem. Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission chief commissioner Liam Herrick said the adults involved in exploiting vulnerable children must receive serious attention, warning that children can be groomed through gifts, affection, drugs or promises of protection. The report raises a disturbing issue extending beyond the shortage of special-care beds: children already in the care of the State are being deliberately targeted by organised criminals for sexual and criminal exploitation.