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Record number of male sexual abuse survivors seeking support, says charity

In 2024, contacts to One in Four increased by 17% with 7,674 support sessions delivered to 1,292 individuals
In 2024, contacts to One in Four increased by 17% with 7,674 support sessions delivered to 1,292 individuals

Male survivors of sexual abuse who sought support from One in Four reached an all-time high last year.

The percentage of males who sought help from the specialist support service for adult survivors of child sexual abuse rose to 62% last year from 48% in 2023.

The increase follows the publication of the Scoping Inquiry Report into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools in September 2024.

The scoping inquiry found that there were 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in respect of 308 schools recorded by the religious orders that ran those schools.

A Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools - established in response to the findings - is currently undertaking preliminary work to establish its structures and processes.

One in Four CEO Deirdre Kenny has said the public conversation and the visibility of the Scoping Inquiry helped create an environment in which survivors - especially men - felt able to seek support.

Deirdre Kenny One in Four CEO
One in Four CEO Deirdre Kenny said it represented real people 'not just statistics'

She said it represented "not just statistics, but real people breaking years, sometimes decades, of silence".

In 2024, contacts to One in Four increased by 17% with 7,674 support sessions delivered to 1,292 individuals according to its latest annual report.

The percentage of females who used the service was 37%, while non-binary accounted for 1%.

One in Four offers advocacy, therapy and prevention programmes as well as family psychoeducation groups.

Its advocacy service equips survivors to navigate legal, institutional, and other formal systems with trusted, trauma-focused support.

The number of requests for this type of support rose 21% in 2024 to 5,461.

A total of 44% were based in Dublin and 45% in the rest of Ireland, while 6% were international and 5% unknown.

Training sessions to frontline professionals including lawyers and support workers were delivered by the organisation last year to share expertise to survivors of child sexual abuse.

The sessions aimed to ensure that those at the forefront of services "are well-equipped" to provide compassionate, effective support.

The report also notes that One in Four ran a pilot project in Neurofeedback Therapy (NFT).

The "empirically supported approach" described as "safe and non-invasive" supports the brain, impacted by trauma, to self-regulate "by moving towards more calm and relaxed patterns of electrical activity".

A total of 211 sessions were delivered to four clients and three staff volunteers, supported by 56 hours of expert clinical supervision provided by international experts Boston Neurodynamics.

"We were encouraged by the initial results and are delighted to be able to offer NFT as a service," the report stated.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will launch the annual report this morning, as well as its strategic plan 2025-2029, which has been developed "to reduce the prevalence of child sexual abuse and to effect systemic change".