Time to get a grip on the backlog of cases, victims of child sexual abuse deserve swift justice
If ever there was a reminder of the urgent need to tackle the crisis in the criminal justice system it is the rise in the number of child sexual abuse and exploitation victims having to wait to see justice delivered.
Open child sexual abuse cases have risen by 9 per cent over the past year to nearly 7,000. Victims in England and Wales are waiting 10 months for their chance to see justice in the courts. The delay jumps to around 18 months for cases of rape of a child aged 13 to 15.
This is nothing short of a scandal. It leaves thousands of young victims in limbo, unable to move forward with their lives.
The issue of grooming gangs has been widely debated this year but predators being caught and effectively not being punished is just as big of a scandal.
While Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones’ visit to NSPCC’s Letting the Future In (LTFI) service in Leeds, which supports child victims of sexual abuse, is to be welcomed, these figures from the Ministry of Justice don’t reflect well on the Government. Granted the criminal justice system was in a mess when Labour won the general election, speeding up justice for victims of child sex abuse needs to be a top priority.
Not every victim will have access to the sort of support provided by LTFI.
“The other person is getting on with their life while I’m stuck feeling anger, frustration, feeling numb, just waiting. I need the court case over with”. These words of a 14-year-old girl to Childline should be enough to concentrate the minds of ministers on this issue.