A former member of a Church Sunday School has succeeded in a civil compensation claim arising from sexual abuse by a church youth worker and has successfully obtained an out-of-court settlement in a civil action.
One consequence of lockdown has been having time to watch some excellent TV programmes.
Netflix’ double ‘Epstein: Filthy Rich’ and ‘Athlete A’ are disturbing documentaries both detailing the sexual exploitation of girls and young women by men of significant power.
The Covid-19 health crisis and the lockdown that has proceeded are providing many with the time and opportunity to reflect on their present and past life.
As the virtual world becomes increasingly part of everyday life, it is no surprise that there are people who are exploiting it to commit crimes, causing deep anguish and distress. Even more so with the government lockdown due to the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic. With children off of school, predatory paedophiles have access to them more than ever before.
A former resident of a children’s home in Coventry children’s home has successfully obtained an out-of-court settlement in a civil action against Coventry City Council for physical and sexual abuse he suffered while in the care of the Council.
Many victims of sexual abuse live in silence and fear. It is heartening that more victims of sexual abuse are speaking out. This is thought to be as a result of the public inquiries and reporting of high-profile cases in the media. In 2014 the Government set up the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA”) to look at how institutions have handled their duty of care to protect children. The inquiry set up the Truth Project which has heard from thousands of victims of sexual abuse.
Editor's note: This post was originally written in 2017 and has since been brought up to date in honour of World Mental Health Day 2019.
Secondary mental health problems including compassion fatigue and secondary trauma are especially prevalent among those working in industries that require them to work closely with victims of trauma, or that expose them to trauma on a secondary level. However it's not often given the attention it deserves and as a result, those at risk are not prioritising their own mental health.
A former pupil of Lincoln Cathedral School successfully obtained an out-of-court settlement in a civil action against the Lincoln Cathedral Dean and Chapter for sexual abuse he suffered whilst at the school.
For anyone who has suffered sexual abuse it may take years before they have the courage to come forward to speak of the abuse to their friends and family or even the police.
You may feel deeply embarrassed and ashamed to discuss what happened to you.
Child abuse can happen to any child, irrespective of their gender, race, age or background. Unfortunately, there is no way to absolutely prevent child abuse. However, caregivers can take steps to reduce the risk.
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Whilst child abuse can be sexual, physical, emotional and neglect, for the purpose of this article we focus on sexual child abuse and exploitation.
