'For too many children, Christmas simply doesn’t happen': Cork children among hundreds contacting Childline 

Cork children contacted Childline in relation to issues including sexual assault, mental health difficulties, and arguments with family over the Christmas period.

Nationally, 820 children and young people contacted Childline between December 23 and 25, representing a 12% increase in connections when compared with Christmas 2023.

Data compiled by the charity shows that for many children Christmas is not a time of joy, but one of fear and misery as they contact Childline to talk about suicide, abuse, neglect, bereavement, and loneliness.

Difficult

Regina O’Sullivan, manager of Childline’s Cork office in Penrose Wharf, told The Echo: “It can be difficult for children, it heightens emotions — there’s such a big lead-up to it and expectations and often, come Christmas Day, there can be a lot of disappointment.

“I was working Christmas Day myself, and a 16-year-old girl was in touch, she initially presented as feeling down and sad, but said she has a really good relationship with her family.

“It transpired she was keeping a big secret — she had gone to a house party over the Christmas holidays and was sexually assaulted at that party, and nobody knows.

“She was too embarrassed to tell her mum and dad or anyone, because she shouldn’t have been at the party in the first place.”

She continued: “We had a regular caller who is in hospital for mental health treatment, she doesn’t have any family and she rang quite upset. She got a gift from the hospital but she doesn’t have the nurturing family support. 

"There was a teenage lad in touch who was very, very angry – he had gotten into an argument with his family on Christmas Eve and it was spilling into Christmas Day so he was up in his room by himself, away from his family.”

Social media

Ms O’Sullivan explained: “Social media plays a huge part in these feelings and expectations for all of us — people can get caught up in the illusion. They have a dream of what their perfect Christmas would be like but because it’s real life and family, things go wrong or there’s not enough money in the household to get the gifts or the dinner.

“There’s an awful lot of pressure put on families, the next day kids are sharing what they’ve gotten, showing off their new clothes or toys and that has a big effect on the kid who hasn’t gotten the designer jumper, because it’s turned into a competition.”

John Church, ISPCC CEO, said: “For too many children and young people, Christmas simply doesn’t happen. They turn to Childline for support, and our amazing staff and volunteers are there for them 24/7 over Christmas, as they are throughout the year.

“We depend on donations for up to 90% of the funding which keeps us listening 365 days of the year.”

To help Childline help those children go to https://www.ispcc.ie.