By Joleen Murphy
Figures showing a fifth of suspected offenders in sexual violence cases are under 18, while alarming, are not a surprise.
That's the view of the head of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Figures from the CSO show, in 2019, one in five victims and suspected offenders of detected sexual violence were under 18 years of age.
Chief Executive of the DRCC Noeline Blackwell says there is a concern about peer abuse.
"The fact that 20% of offenders could be that young is a worry and a problem, but it is not a surprise to us because we know from work we do when we are training those working with young people. when we are talking to parents, we know that there is a real concern about what is often called in that age group 'peer abuse' where someone of their own age abuses someone under 18."
In 2020, the figures show four out of five victims of sexual violence were women and girls.
For information on services available, visit www.drcc.ie
