Child sexual abuse happens on an epidemic scale and across all sectors of society, with an estimated 500,000 children abused in a year in England and Wales alone. Yet, there can be a real reluctance to face up to just how devastatingly common these crimes are.
Since 2011 the conversation in the UK has been heavily dominated by a narrow and racialised focus on ‘grooming gangs’. As horrific as the crimes in question are, we at BTS believe that all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse deserve support, justice, and for their voices and needs to be at the heart of policy and practice. This should not be a contentious statement. Yet, attempts to challenge inaccurate stereotyping and recentre the conversation to be more inclusive, survivor-centred and evidence-based are routinely met by accusations of obfuscation and denial.
There have certainly been abysmal failings in responding to ‘grooming gangs’. This is sadly true for so much child sexual abuse, regardless of whether it happens in schools, churches, families, sports clubs or other institutions. Indeed, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA, 2015-22), which heard from over 6,000 survivors, identified a litany of failings in child protection across the board. Yet, despite investing over £186 million in public funds into the Inquiry, the former Conservative administration had yet to implement a single recommendation by the time they left office in 2024.
