💔 Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

• Government’s Immediate Actions: The Home Department has committed to several actions to address child sexual exploitation and abuse including mandatory reporting for professionals to report suspicions of abuse, establishing a victims and survivors panel, overhauling data collection processes, increasing sentencing for perpetrators, supporting local inquiries, and reviewing historical cases.

• Survivors and Victims: The Safeguarding Minister met with survivors from Oldham to discuss previous and ongoing efforts. The government has accepted all recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and will set out a comprehensive action plan before Easter.

• Police Investigations and Sentencing: There’s an emphasis on increasing police investigations to apprehend abusers. New measures include extending the remit of the independent child sexual abuse review panel to all historical cases and encouraging chief constables to review and potentially reopen past cases.

• Data Collection: There will be an overhaul of the data collection standards to better understand the scale and nature of child sexual exploitation, with special attention to ethnicity data.

• National Audit: Baroness Louise Casey will conduct a rapid three-month audit to assess the current scale and characteristics of gang-based child sexual exploitation across the country.

• Legal Framework and Accountability: Provisions for mandatory reporting and increased accountability mechanisms for institutions failing victims. The government is also working towards a duty of candour and considering legal changes to strengthen accountability.

• Local Inquiries: Tom Crowther KC will collaborate with local authorities to develop a framework for victim-centered, locally-led inquiries, starting with pilot programs in several areas including Oldham.

• Online Exploitation: Recognition of the growing problem of online child exploitation with plans to enhance the capabilities of undercover online police operations and develop AI tools to target online abusers.

• Cross-Party Support: Despite some disagreement on the approach, there’s a call for cross-party collaboration and support for the government’s measures to ensure child protection.

• Funding: Additional government funding has been allocated to support these initiatives and local inquiries, with an expectation that these measures will become mainstreamed into ongoing police and council duties.

• Victims’ Right to Review: Victims now have the right to an independent review if they feel investigations into their cases have been inadequate or improperly closed.

• Debate and Criticisms: There was a lively debate with various MPs pressing for statutory inquiries with more legal powers to compel witnesses, concerns about funding, andwhether all local inquiries would have the necessary resources and powers.

• Final Remarks: The session concluded with an emphasis on the urgency of acting on recommendations, improving child safety, and ensuring justice and support for survivors. There’s also a commitment to regular updates to the House on actions taken.

The session demonstrated significant disagreement and divergence of opinions, as evidenced by critical exchanges between the Secretary of State and opposition members. Key areas of contention included the adequacy of government responses to tackling sexual abuse, the selection and scope of inquiries, and differing interpretations of past policy impacts. Certain moments included pointed critiques and calls for greater action, reflecting the strong emotions and high stakes associated with the debated issues.