There has been a 43 percent increase in the number of teenagers reporting rape and sexual assault by other teens to the CARI helpline over two years.
It’s annual report finds that most phone calls to the line are about girls aged under 13.
The helpline received more than 15 hundred calls last year, with most coming from mothers.
The most common issue reported is abuse within families.
The CEO of CARI Mary Flaherty says the growth of abuse among teenagers between 2012 and 2014 by their peers is extremely worrying and that its different to abuse by adults.
The Children’s Minister, James Reilly, says more research is needed into why young people are abusing each other.
Mary Flaherty says waiting lists for their services are now more than a year long, and having so many children waiting so long is an absolute disgrace.
