MISINFORMATION is masking the true scale of the child-abuse crisis in the UK, a campaign group led by Professor Alexis Jay has warned.
Professor Jay chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and presented its findings in October 2022 (News, 20 October 2022). She now chairs Act on IICSA, a campaign group which is calling on the Government to fulfil its promises on child protection. Two years after the publication of the final IICSA report, none of its recommendations have been implemented.
In a statement on Sunday, Act on IICSA says that recent press coverage on child sexual abuse “highlights a troubling trend of misinformation that undermines the true scale of the crisis and the pressing need for reform”. The Inquiry, it says, heard from more than 7500 victims and survivors and “provided a clear roadmap for action. Yet, two years later, none of its recommendations have been fully implemented.”
Act on IICSA asks the Government for a timetable for this implementation, and urgently recommends the establishment of a Child Protection Authority (CPA) to take this forward. The group highlights IICSA’s central recommendations, including improved, standardised data collection and sharing; enhanced analysis and identification of organised networks and abuse patterns; and sustainable funding to reduce pressure on frontline services supporting victims and survivors of abuse.
“Politicising the issue of sexual violence fails to acknowledge its lifelong impact and hinders the implementation of vital and urgent overhaul to our systems required,” the statement says.
“It is imperative to keep the focus on radical reform, as evidenced by IICSA’s findings and smaller independent inquiries. The reality is stark: approximately 500,000 children are subjected to abuse each year in the UK. These children cannot afford further delays in meaningful action.”
Professor Jay said: “Our mission is not to call for new inquiries, but to advocate for the full implementation of IICSA’s recommendations. A Child Protection Authority is critical to this process.”
In 2023, Professor Jay was commissioned by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to review the safeguarding structures of the Church of England (News, 20 July 2023). She recommended the creation of two new independent bodies: the first to carry out safeguarding work, the second to provide “oversight and scrutiny” of the work of the first. Both should be established as charities and funded by the Church (News, 21 February 2024).
These were not taken forward by the General Synod last February (News, 1 March 2024), which voted instead to form a Response Group to the Jay report, and Sarah Wilkinson’s report on the demise of the Independent Safeguarding Board (News, 15 December 2023). A year later, meeting in London next month, the Synod is to consider two options. Both represent a significant change to the Church’s delivery of safeguarding, with implications for the jobs of hundreds of people (News, 20 December 2024).