Restorative justice urged to deal with sexual crimes

….Ms Lewis said the criminal justice system was not suitable for
addressing most sexual crimes. Many victims of abuse within the family
did not want to engage with the system and did not want their father,
brother or uncle to end up in jail.

“What they want is to make
sure no other child is sexually abused, they want acknowledgment within
their family of the enormous suffering they experienced and they
ultimately want an apology from the offender,” she said.

Of 100
victims of sexual abuse in childhood, only 5 per cent will report the
crime to gardaí, Ms Lewis said, and 2 – 3 per cent will end up with a
conviction.

“We have to develop a more creative way of looking at
this that will allow both the victims and offenders to come forward and
get help,” she said.

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