'Children under 12 cannot process what they see, so they act it out, often with other siblings or peers,' says charity chief executiveA national service for children affected by sex abuse saw a rise in reports of sexually harmful behaviour among children. Of 109 new referrals to Children At Risk in Ireland (Cari) last year, 39 involved children engaging in unsafe or age-inappropriate sexualised behaviour. The figures from the charity show 10 per cent of referrals were of children last year involved in sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. Cari sees children aged from three years old to 18. The youngest child seen for harmful sexual behaviour was five.

Source: The Irish Times January 29, 2026 07:17 UTC