The shadow minister for safeguarding has written to the government demanding action on child sexual exploitation after being “alarmed” by a Sky News story revealing plans to exclude it from their Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.
Last week, Sky News reported on a leaked Home Office document which stated that child sexual abuse and exploitation was not “explicitly within the scope” of their upcoming strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
Shadow minister for safeguarding, Alicia Kearns, has written to safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, saying that “survivors of sexual violence have been left bereft” by the decision.
The government insists that its strategy, due to be published next month, will include action to tackle child sexual abuse, but that a distinctive programme will also be announced to address the specifics of the crime.
In her letter “demanding answers,” Ms Kearns urged the minister to “be transparent and explain why sexual violence has been purposefully excluded” and to “set out when a separate strategy on tackling sexual violence will be published”.
Poppy Eyre was sexually abused and raped by her grandfather when she was four. Her grandfather was later convicted and died in prison.
She told Sky News on Friday: “VAWG is violence against women and girls. If you take child sexual abuse out of it, where are the girls?”
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The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, which is funded by the Home Office, estimates that 500,000 children will experience some form of sexual abuse every year in England and Wales,
Rape Crisis told Sky News ministers have failed victims of abuse if they don’t consider the “scale of child sexual abuse and exploitation” within their strategy.
The campaign group said, “for any strategy to be effective,” that the plans “must include all forms of gender-based violence against all women and girls”, suggesting there is a “danger” in having a separate plan for child sexual abuse.
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A Home Office spokesperson said the department was “working tirelessly to tackle the scourges of violence against women and girls and child sexual abuse”.
In a statement, the spokeperson said: “These issues are complex and run deep within the fabric of society.
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“The government wholly recognises that they overlap.
“But it also recognises that concerted action is needed to tackle child sexual abuse, which is why we have set out a range of actions… and why we are launching a national inquiry into grooming gangs.”
