A voluntary organisation has said many of the teenagers it supported last year reported being sexually assaulted after socialising with people around their own age.
In its annual report for last year, CARI - Children at Risk in Ireland- said it supported just over 1,000 children both directly and indirectly.
The organisation said that of the children from whom it collected age-related data over its helpline, 34% were aged 10 and under.
CARI Executive Director called for better resources to assist children at risk, saying 83 children are currently waiting to access therapeutic services.
Eve Farrelly said it is essential children get timely access to therapy in the aftermath of a trauma and CARI needs appropriate resources to provide more services.
Ms Farrelly said not getting timely intervention leads to negative outcomes for children.
Speaking on RTE's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Ms Farrelly said the service has dealt with various different issues including children presenting with sexualised behaviour or disclosures of sexual assault and rape.
She said that while younger children report alleged assaults by family members, teenagers reported assaults after socialising with friends.
She said the common alleged offender for teenagers was outside of the family and the incidents alleged happened while they had been out with their peers.
She said these incidents can be extremely traumatising for the children involved and the whole group of young people.
CARI also helps children presenting with sexually harmful behaviour and offers therapeutic intervention for children up to the age of 12.
