YP Comment: Human cost of abuse scandal

The incredibly brave Samantha Woodhouse did the nation a service by helping to expose the appalling Rotherham child abuse scandal. For years, she gave interviews under the name '˜Jessica' to highlight what had happened in the town and the lack of action by those in authority to bring abusers to justice.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Apr 2017, 10:00 BST
Updated 9th May 2017, 19:09 BST

But after her abuser was finally jailed for 35 years following a trial last year, Miss Woodhouse has now revealed her true identity. This course of action is not one that suits every victim of sexual abuse, who are entitled to lifetime anonymity with good reason.

But the decision of Miss Woodhouse and others like her to tell their stories does help the public to properly understand the human cost of such abuse. The familiar figure associated with the Rotherham scandal – an estimated 1,400 victims – becomes all the more real with a thorough understanding of the tragic experiences of just one of their number.