29/10/2026
KATE DUGGAN IS CEO OF TUSLA — HOW ARE VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN STATE CARE BEING TARGETED, DRUGGED AND R***D BY ORGANISED GANGS ON HER WATCH?
An exclusive report in today’s Mail on Sunday by Debbie McCann reveals that organised criminal gangs are targeting vulnerable girls in State care, inviting them to “parties” where they are plied with alcohol and drugs before being s*xually exploited and r***d by predatory men.
The report follows the disturbing High Court case of a 14-year-old girl in Tusla care who gardaí believe is being subjected to “horrifying” s*xual exploitation by multiple men. Despite the court ordering that she be placed in special care, Tusla told the court that it could not immediately provide her with a bed. Just 15 of the State’s 26 special-care beds were reported to be open because of staffing shortages.
Researcher Ruth Breslin of UCD’s Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute (SERP) told the newspaper that the 14-year-old’s case is not isolated. She said organised criminal networks are deliberately targeting some of the most vulnerable children in State care.
According to Breslin, gang members can discover where residential care facilities are located and target girls living there. In some cases, girls are collected in cars and taken to “parties” in private homes or hotels where groups of men are waiting. Alcohol and drugs can be involved, while some men allegedly provide drugs or money to other predatory men as “payment” for s*xual access to the girls.
Breslin said some of the men meet through online forums or dating apps. She warned that the scale of the problem may not be fully appreciated and said research had identified another similar case involving a child in State care.
The Mail on Sunday also reports that Garda sources are dealing with cases involving teenage girls and boys in State care who are being “escorted” after being targeted through dating apps. Some female minors are reportedly being drawn into s*x work to pay debts, while boys can also be victims of criminal exploitation.
The newspaper links the issue to wider concerns about child trafficking. It cites a previous case involving a 14-year-old girl trafficked to Ireland from West Africa, abducted by a criminal gang from her emergency accommodation within minutes of arriving in State care, and later found locked in a brothel where she had allegedly been forced to work as a s*x slave.
Tusla CEO Kate Duggan told the Mail on Sunday that the agency was aware of concerns about exploitation and said there is intensive engagement with An Garda Síochána to ensure the safety of young people.
A spokesperson for Minister for Children Norma Foley said the Minister was “deeply concerned” about criminal gangs targeting vulnerable children and highlighted the serious risks faced by children in the care system.
The report raises a stark issue beyond the shortage of special-care beds: vulnerable children already in the care of the State are being deliberately targeted by organised criminals for s*xual and criminal exploitation, with serious questions about whether the existing system is capable of identifying, protecting and safeguarding them before further harm occurs.
