Abuse Survivors Blog

Whilst child abuse can be sexual, physical, emotional and neglect, for the purpose of this article we focus on sexual child abuse and exploitation.

This week, 4-10 February 2019, is the third annual Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

This awareness week was established in 2016 to highlight awareness of sexual abuse and violence and generate discussion on this difficult topic. With this in mind it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the work of the Independent Sexual Violence (‘ISVA’) and in particular the training they undertake to equip them with the skills they may need in fulfilling this unquestionably challenging and diverse role.

If you have been sexually abused and are considering seeking justice by way of bringing a compensation claim, there may be options open to you as to who to pursue.

The scale of child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases up and down the country is now well documented and deeply shocking.  

We are all familiar with the grooming scandals of largely white vulnerable girls by gangs of mainly Asian men.

Speaking out for the first time takes great courage and it can be difficult to know where to start.  

Here are 5 things which might offer you assistance and encouragement if you are considering taking this step in 2019:

Editor's note: This post was originally written in 2017 and has since been refreshed for relevance and accuracy.

The age of consent for sex

In England and Wales the age of sexual consent is 16 for both men and women. The age of consent is the same regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of a person and whether the sexual activity is between people of the same or different gender.

In 2017, eight care workers were charged after a police investigation into historical child abuse at a children’s home in Coventry.

These men were accused of a total of 29 offences (which included counts of child cruelty, indecent assaults and one rape of a child) against 15 children whilst working at Wisteria Lodge between 1981-1997.

In the wake of Cliff Richard’s successful court appeal against the BBC, it is right to revisit how victims of sexual abuse can be protected in law from having their identities revealed. There has been much debate over the years on press freedom to report on cases which are thought to be of public interest and the rights of the parties involved in those legal cases.

A case in which we represented a victim of abuse in a compensation claim, which later proceeded to the criminal trial of their abuser illustrates the valuable and important role a Registered Intermediary can have in the justice process. 

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was set up by the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, after apparent institutional failures surrounding non-recent child sexual abuse.