About Us
At One in Four our mission is to end the trauma of child sexual abuse in Ireland. Founded over 20 years ago, we have worked persistently to break the silence and destigmatise the shame surrounding, what remains, a taboo topic. As the first charity of its kind in Ireland, we set out to build expert services to address the complex and diverse needs of all clients, individually. As a result, we have developed responsive and tailored services which have yielded positive outcomes for thousands of men and women.
The One in Four team is driven by the resilience and hope demonstrated by the clients we support; individuals whose courage fuels our determination to create meaningful change. As pioneers of advocating for survivors of child sexual abuse, we have been a significant catalyst in how Irish society has shifted its perspective on this issue. Yet, despite this progress, the shadow of silence persists, compounding the trauma experienced by survivors and their communities. This silence often prevents people from disclosing their experiences and can propagate the misperception that child sexual abuse is an historical issue from our past. This is wrong.
Child sexual abuse is happening today to one in four children across Ireland, many of whom sadly know their abusers. To put it in context, that is over 300,000 children, who are eighteen years or younger, that have experienced or are experiencing sexual abuse. Unfortunately, a newer dynamic that exacerbates this issue is the ever-changing digital landscape. As children’s usage of digital technologies continues to grow, they are increasingly being targeted, groomed and abused by individuals online. This is a crisis playing out in plain sight in all our communities across the country. As a society, we cannot look away when we know the harrowing toll child sexual abuse takes on the lives of victims and their families. That price often lasts a lifetime. This is not an institutional issue from the past, but a societal one of today. And one we can collectively prevent.
Every day One in Four strives to learn from all our clients and improve how we can progress our mission. That mission can only truly be served by understanding and addressing those who perpetrate child sexual abuse. We take this responsibility very seriously and are acutely aware of the fragile dynamics and sensitivities that surround this work. Primary and secondary intervention is vital to decrease the instance of abuse, and we are the only organisation in Ireland providing intervention programs for adults who have offended but may not be convicted and their families.
Memberships:
One in Four is a member of Charities Institute Ireland, The Wheel, My Legacy and FreeWill.ie.
