THE three-year limit on compensation claims from victims of child sexual abuse is to be axed by the Government in a push to enact more recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).

This means that victims and survivors will be able to bring personal-injury claims whenever they feel ready to disclose. Currently, civil claims for child sexual abuse must be brought within three years of turning 18, unless the victim can prove that a fair trial can proceed despite the time lapse. IICSA reported that a “significant number” of claims were being rejected because it could take “decades for survivors to feel able to discuss their sexual abuse”; and this included cases of church-related abuse.

The change is one of three announced by the Ministry of Justice last week, after two consultations with survivors and experts. Bills are expected in the next year.

The burden of proof is also to be “lifted off victims and placed on defendants, who must show a fair trial cannot proceed if they intend to block one. This will enable cases to be heard more easily, and protect victims from reliving their trauma.”

The law of apologies is to be amended to encourage employers to apologise to people wronged by their employees, without fearing institutional liability. The Government says that victims are, therefore, more likely to receive apologies from schools, care facilities, or hospitals for abuse carried out by an individual at these institutions.

IICSA was chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, who presented its findings in October 2022 (News, 20 October 2022).

The Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Child sexual abuse causes lifelong trauma, and these important changes, recommended by Professor Jay, are long overdue. These measures help survivors pursue their path to justice. They build on the Government’s mission of halving violence against women and girls, and support our Plan for Change.”