Exclusive:Successive governments have 'deprioritised' tackling child sexual abuse, Prof Alexis Jay says

In October 2022, IICSA published its final report which found serious institutional failings had led to an epidemic of abuse.

It made 20 recommendations to tackle this, from a mandatory reporting stipulation to the introduction of a Child Protection Authority.

However, three years on none of the recommendations have been fully implemented, and in the intervening period another 1.5 million children have become victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Labour Government criticised the Conservatives for making “far too little progress” on the recommendations while they were in power, and committed to act in the interests of victims and survivors.

However, despite former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promising a timetable to implement the recommendations by Easter this year, campaigners say they are still waiting.

Prof Jay told The Yorkshire Post: “I don’t dismiss the possibility that there is somehow some sort of deprioritisation of the whole subject matter as an issue.

“We have learned so much about the ways people failed to discuss it, and avoided it at all costs.

“If so it’s utterly disgraceful.”

She added that under the previous Conservative government “nothing happened” except some warm words.

David Greenwood, head of Switalskis’ child abuse compensation team in West Yorkshire, said child sexual abuse has “obviously been deprioritised” by governments.

“We had some encouraging discussions at the outset with civil servants and ministers, but the heat has just gone out of it all together,” he said. “If they really wanted to do it, they would do it.”

The pair were speaking at an event organised by Act on IICSA, a coalition of organisations including The Survivors Trust and Survive North Yorkshire designed to push through the inquiry’s recommendations.

Every party leader was invited to attend on multiple occasions, however only Downing Street responded saying “regrettably, due to prior commitments, the Prime Minister was unable to attend this event”.

Sir Keir Starmer’s office said: “He wanted to convey the appreciation of the important work being done by Act on IICSA and recognises the significance of the inquiry’s recommendations in strengthening child safeguarding across England and Wales.

“The commitment to improving policy, practice and survivor support remains a priority for this government.”

Despite both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage criticising the Government repeatedly about inaction on grooming gangs, The Survivors Trust said neither responded to their invitations.

Mags Godderidge, chief executive at Survive North Yorkshire, said: “I want to see this timetable, I want all of the survivors we work with to have faith and trust that something is going to change.

“Otherwise the government will just be another institution that has let them down, just like all the institutions that let them down when they were children.”

A government spokesperson said: “The government is committed to tackling the horrors of child sexual abuse and exploitation and getting justice for victims and survivors. There can be nowhere for these evil perpetrators to hide.

“It’s not correct that we haven’t set out our plan of action: in April, the government announced a clear strategy to deliver IICSA recommendations. We introduced multiple legislative measures that must now go through Parliament.

“These include mandatory reporting, reforming the disclosure and barring system, removing the three-year limitation for victim personal injury claims, and making grooming a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing.

“We are also establishing a Child Protection Authority to prioritise the protection of children and improve national oversight.”