Champion's anti-abuse strategy is praised by victims and survivors

Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse have praised the work of Rotherham MP Sarah Champion following the publication her new anti-abuse action plan.
MP Sarah ChampionMP Sarah Champion
MP Sarah Champion

Speaking at a launch event in Parliament yesterday, they claimed her recommendations could be the key to preventing a repeat of the tragedies they suffered.

One parent, Lorin LaFave, whose son fell victim to online predators in Surrey, said the measures outlined by the report could have saved him.

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While another women, who was abused as a child, suggested she would have received help and support at a much earlier age.

Ms Champion’s Dare2Care action plan is the latest development in her long-running anti-abuse campaign.

The strategy focuses on tackling abuse in its earliest stages, with an emphasis on education for both children and adults.

In particular, it calls for better relationship and online safety education for children across all age groups.

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It also recommends greater support and guidance for parents, to help them navigate the threat posed by the online world.

One woman, whose child was the victim of grooming, said this kind of information would help parents like her “act before the abuse happened”.

While Ms LaFave, whose son Breck was murdered in 2014, said better education was “100 per cent what we need”.

“Had [his friends] had those lessons... if they had learned who to talk to anonymously, then they would have been able to make those sorts of calls,” she said.

“They were not armed... this sort of education is 100 per cent what we need.”