Victims of child abuse forced to journey to the capital following centre closure

The closure on New Year's Eve of a 24-hour facility in Galway city which treated victims of child sex abuse means children and adolescents will be forced to travel to Dublin in order to seek treatment.

Galway’s Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, which was located in the Parkmore Industrial Estate, closed its doors on December 31st following claims from forensic examiners that the HSE had failed to offer medical indemnity insurance.

Calls are being made for the reversal of the decision which has caused considerable concern among many in the west who deem it 'unacceptable' a vulnerable child must be forced to attend Dublin's Rotunda Hospital following the centre's closure.

Highlighting the need for the reversal, Councillor Catherine Connolly outlined her stance with the help of findings from the Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland Study, saying: "The unit, which opened its 24-hour service in Galway in 2011 is absolutely essential given the prevalence of sexual assault and violence in the community - statistics which unfortunately have been repeatedly confirmed."

Using the 2002 research to bolster her argument, she continued: "This groundbreaking study consulted over 3,000 randomly selected Irish adults and found that 42 per cent of women and 28 per cent of men experienced some form of sexual abuse or assault in their lives."

"Given this background and indeed the findings of the various reports into child sexual abuse including the Ryan Report, the Murphy Report and the Roscommon Enquiry, the closure of a dedicated sexual assault unit for children simply beggars belief," she insisted.

It is understood that a meeting is due to take place today which will allow medical personnel and HSE officials to discuss the issue with the hopes of resolving the matter.