Suffolk child sexual abuse charity demands government action

A charity supporting child victims of sexual abuse has demanded action from the government after accusing it of "failure to fulfil its promises".

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) from October 2022 reported 20 recommendations for Parliament.

Suffolk-based charity Brave Futures said the recommendations had not been fully implemented.

But a Home Office spokesperson said the government had made "good progress".

Brave Futures, which supports children who have experienced sexual abuse across Suffolk and Norfolk, said: "The findings of the report are a harsh reminder that children in England and Wales are being failed by both state and non-state institutions, suffering unimaginable sexual abuse at the hands of individuals they trust."

The report estimated that one in six girls and one in 20 boys experienced child sexual abuse before the age of 16, while the Office for National Statistics estimated that 3.1m adults in England and Wales had experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16.

Report recommendations included establishing a Child Protection Authority, appointing a dedicated cabinet minister for children, and amending existing legislations around the sexual abuse of children.

Brave Futures said progress with these recommendations had been "disappointingly slow".

A charity statement said: "We must prioritise the implementation of the report's recommendations, ensuring that robust change is carried out immediately."

Patsy Johnson-Cisse, managing director of the organisation, said: "The findings of the IICSA report were harrowing and devastating, yet not surprising to us.

"We are asking [the] government to set up a Child Protection Agency and appoint a cabinet-level minister for children. We believe these two actions will ensure accountability and oversight in the adoption of the remaining 18 recommendations made by IICSA," she continued.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The government is continuing to drive forward commitments made in our response to the Independent Inquiry. This includes making good progress on mandatory reporting, recently concluding the call for evidence, and now working through next steps."

They continued that the government was doing "all we can to tackle this horrific crime", adding "the Home Secretary has committed to providing an update on progress to Parliament by the end of the year".

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