Children as young as 12 and 13 are being groomed into dealing drugs and nothing is being done to protect them.
That's according to one Dublin Councillor who says she comes across young people involved in crime on a daily basis.
Currently, an adult can be prosecuted for inciting a child to commit a crime, but there is no legal mechanism recognising the damage done to the child.
Councillor Noeleen Reilly is calling on the government to introduce strict penalties to criminals who prey on young people.
She says urgent action is needed to protect the younger people in our communities:
"If the powers that be say there's no laws to deal with this, then that's the first thing we need to do."
