The UK Government has announced a comprehensive update on its strategy to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation, with a major package of reforms aimed at delivering justice for victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Delivering a statement in the House of Commons, Minister Phillips highlighted the scale of the crisis, revealing that an estimated 500,000 children are abused each year. In 2023 alone, police recorded 115,000 cases of child sexual abuse, including over 4,200 group-based offences, and an alarming rise in cases involving perpetrators under the age of 18. Minister Phillips declared:
“Child sexual abuse and exploitation are the most horrific and disturbing crimes – an abuse of power against those who are most vulnerable, leaving lifelong trauma and scars.”
The government’s Grooming Gangs Taskforce has accelerated its work, leading to 597 arrests in the last nine months of 2024 – more than in its entire first year. Authorities expect even stronger figures in early 2025, reflecting intensified efforts nationwide.
In response to decades of institutional failings exposed by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the government is taking decisive steps to implement long-overdue recommendations. These include:
Creation of a new Child Protection Authority to provide national leadership and oversight of safeguarding practices. Mandatory reporting laws, making it a legal duty for anyone working with children to report suspected abuse – with criminal penalties for obstruction.
Expansion of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians scheme across England and Wales to support vulnerable children at risk of grooming and exploitation. Acknowledging past failures, the government pledged to significantly improve support services for victims. These measures include:
- Doubling funding for national services supporting adult survivors of child sexual abuse in this financial year.
- Plans to enhance access to therapeutic services, with detailed proposals expected in the coming weeks.
- Removing the 3-year limitation period for civil claims, making it easier for survivors to seek compensation from institutions that failed to protect them.
- Reversing the burden of proof in civil cases, protecting survivors from retraumatisation in court proceedings.
The government also confirmed its intention to review the potential for a national redress scheme for victims of institutional abuse, with decisions expected following the upcoming spending review.
A suite of legislative and enforcement reforms is also underway, including:
- A new police performance framework for child protection and exploitation.
- Border Force powers to detect digital child abuse material.
- Criminalisation of registered sex offenders changing their identities to evade monitoring.
- Increased investment in law enforcement tools and undercover capabilities.
- New legislation targeting AI-enabled online abuse and grooming.
The Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council has instructed all 43 police forces to re-examine historic cases of group-based child sexual exploitation where no action was taken. Meanwhile, Ofsted, HMICFRS and the CQC will launch a joint review into family-based child abuse starting this autumn.
A national audit led by Baroness Casey is underway to map group-based exploitation across the UK, including complex cases involving ethnicity, such as those connected to gangs of Pakistani heritage.
