The Director of Public Prosecutions has defended the low prosecution rate for sexual offences and said cases can be complex and often lack witnesses.
In an address to the National Prosecutors' Conference, Claire Loftus said that complainants in sexual offence cases make up the largest proportion of those who request reasons for decisions not to prosecute at 38%.
For the past two years, the DPP has been explaining why it does not prosecute all cases.
Victims of sexual offences make up a disproportionate amount of those who want to know why their cases did not go to court.
Ms Loftus said that while sexual offences are the most serious after fatal cases, they are very complex.
She said that with adults, sexual activity may not be disputed, but the question was whether there was sufficient evidence of an absence of consent.
In cases involving sexual activity with a child, it can be difficult to get evidence from very young children.
Ms Loftus said these decisions were often finely balanced and required very careful consideration.
Decisions not to prosecute can be overturned, but the numbers to date have been very small at 2%.
