Who: Transition Year Class 4.2, St. Mary’s Secondary School, Irishtown , New Ross, Co. Wexford.

What: Young Social Innovators Project: Hidden Faces, Hidden Places

Re: Human Trafficking and Prostitution Petition On Saturday 28th April, 6 transition year students from St. Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross met with Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform Brendan Howlin to present him with their petition of over 1000 signatures. The petition urges the government to adopt the Nordic (Swedish) model approach to prostitution which decriminalises those selling sex, offers support services to exit prostitution, and criminalises the purchase of sex to curb the demand for commercial sexual exploitation. The 24 students decided, last October to undertake this project based on the huge problem of human trafficking and prostitution in Ireland. They have achieved a huge amount since then and were delighted to present to petition to Minister Howlin.

In addition to this, Hidden Faces, Hidden Places has been chosen to represent their school at the ‘Young Social Innovators’ Showcase on May 9th at the City West Hotel in Dublin. It was one of 60 projects chosen and the girls are looking forward to the opportunity to highlight this problem even more. The class have designed a brochure, composed a song, held school and public information sessions, fundraising events, created a facebook page, twitter account and lots more. Should any further information be required please do not hesitate to contact St. Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross at 051-421637.

Our facebook page is simply called ‘Hidden Faces, Hidden Places’. On Wednesday next the 2nd May 4 students will represent the class on South East Radio on the Alan Corcoran show at 10.30am. One of the students in the class, Eve Furlong from Adamstown composed a song for the project. The Song is called ‘Hidden’ and will be performed during the interview with Alan Corcoran. So tune in for that!

Sexual violence and older people
New figures reveal 123 people aged 55 or older attended a rape crisis centre in Ireland in 2010.

Over 100 children in Ireland vanished from State care
John O’Mahoney, Garda assistant commissioner, said recently that 114 children who have been reported missing in the past five years are still missing. A staggering 106 of those 114 children were reported missing while in care of the State.

More than 100 children remain on Ireland’s missing persons list, it has been revealed.
But one of the country’s most senior Garda officers said there was no way to compare the figures with overseas because of “protocols” used to record them here.

Overexposure of young people to porn is ‘like a car crash’

Teenagers are being damaged by overexposure to pornography, with Ireland in the grip of a “catastrophe” of sexual violence, the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland has warned.

It’s “never too late” to address sexual violence
OLDER WOMEN are being encouraged that it is never too late to address past sexual violence. The message comes as a new DVD for older women affected by sexual violence is released by the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) and the Older Women’s Network (OWN)