Children and teens in the care of the State are being targeted and sexually exploited in an "organised manner" by coordinated gangs of predatory men, a new report has revealed.
UCD's Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) disturbing report stated that girls, some as young as 12, are main target victims. Based on interviews with stakeholders working with children, it was also uncovered that the predators use hotels across the country as locations for the sexual exploitation, with hoteliers described as "feeling ill-equipped to deal with and report what they are encountering".
Researchers found evidence of predators grooming children and waiting at accommodation centres, including in hotel lobbies. SERP researcher Ruth Breslin told RTE's Morning Ireland: "We heard about situations where cars would be lining up at night outside residential care homes.
