The UK Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has proposed the introduction of a new offence under which anyone covering up or failing to report child sexual abuse will face professional or criminal sanctions. The measure will form part of this year’s Crime and Policing Bill. It is among 20 recommendations made by Professor Alexis Jay following her seven-year inquiry into child sexual abuse, which ended in 2022.
Cooper’s move has been welcomed by the Conservative Party’s shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, though he has also urged the Home Secretary to establish a national statutory public inquiry into sexual abuse of children by grooming gangs. He argues that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Prof Jay, has addressed only six of the towns involved in what he calls the “gang rape scandal”. Philp has suggested that if the government does not call such an inquiry, the Conservatives will try to amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to force one.
The 2022 IICSA report recommended the introduction of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. It also called for a legal requirement that those who work in “regulated activity or work in a position of trust” should report abuse in certain circumstances, such as when they observe “recognised indicators” of abuse. The report recommended a criminal offence which would be committed if abuse was not reported if the witness was told about it by the child or perpetrator, or if they witnessed a child being sexually abused.
Cooper’s proposal establishes mandatory reporting. It will also create a new offence targeting those who cover up or fail to report abuse. The Home Secretary also plans to make grooming an aggravated factor in the sentencing of abuse cases and to overhaul the way information and evidence on child sexual abuse is gathered.
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