Vow to tackle violence against women and girls ‘must include child sex abuse victims’

A pledge to tackle violence against women and girls can only be fulfilled if it properly addresses child sex abuse, campaigners have warned.

Children’s organisations including Barnardo’s and the NSPCC have written to the Government to raise concerns over the scope of its upcoming strategy.

The letter follows a report that child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) might not be included in the scope of the violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy.

Signatories including the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, insisted the Government cannot “truly tackle violence against women and girls without tackling the sexual abuse of children”.

Deeply connected

The letter stated: “Violence against girls is inseparable from violence against women. VAWG and child sexual abuse are inherently and deeply connected – with shared root causes like gender inequality, misogyny and power imbalances making a coordinated and joined-up response essential.

“Children are also disproportionately likely to be victims. Each year, around 500,000 children in England and Wales will experience some form of sexual abuse, and children account for 40% of all victims of sexual offences, despite making up just 20% of the population.

“This is a worldwide threat, with children overwhelmingly bearing the brunt of sexual violence and abuse both off and online.

“Victims of child sexual abuse are also more likely to be victims of adult sexual violence and domestic abuse.”

Ministers have promised to halve VAWG in a decade – to 2034 – with a strategy expected to be published in September.

‘Victimised’

Kerry Smith, chief executive of the IWF, said: “At the front line of the battle against child sexual exploitation, we see girls are overwhelmingly being targeted and victimised online. We see their suffering in snapshot moments, but the damage from that abuse stays with those children.

“This strategy is a golden opportunity to put those girls at the heart of a real, concerted response to a problem which reaches into every facet of daily life. Failing to do so would be to fail so many victims whose sexual abuse our analysts witness every day and who we work so hard to prevent being re-victimised.”

NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Children, especially girls, are disproportionately affected by sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. The trauma this can cause doesn’t always end in childhood; it can echo throughout their lives.

“To deliver on their promise to halve violence against women and girls, this strategy must tackle all forms of child abuse. This must include equipping professionals to spot abuse early on, engaging young people so that abuse is prevented in the first place, and improving access to specialist support for all victims.

“We urge the Government to ensure the strategy delivers robust, coordinated action to confront this crisis head on. We owe it to all children to protect them from the full spectrum of harms we know they are experiencing, including sexual abuse and exploitation.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will include targeted action to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, as well as other VAWG crimes, but there is also a distinctive and transformative workstream underway to address the specific crimes of CSEA, to ensure those crimes get the specialist response they demand”.

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