Charity Warns Of Child Sex Abuse

Children and young people in the capital are being forgotten and failed, because the Government has failed to make sexual exploitation a policing priority, failed to ensure new legislation is used to bring child abusers to justice and failed to provide long term funding for services.

{mosimage}Despite a shocking Barnardo’s report published two years ago warning of the dangers to 1000 of London’s most vulnerable youngsters, their situation has barely improved. In a new report, ‘Forgotten and Failed’, Barnardo’s examines what has happened to protect children in the capital from sexual exploitation since the 2005 report.

Barnardo’s is working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and Local Authorities throughout London, but despite best efforts only three specialist services exist in the whole of the capital.

And despite the fact that the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 introduced three new offences specifically designed to prosecute adults who sexually exploit children and young people, the situation does not appear to have improved significantly.

According to the Government’s own figures, despite 425 recorded offences of ‘sexual grooming’, there were no prosecutions recorded in the whole of England and Wales, and only 35 prosecutions for ‘abusing children by prostitution’ between 2003 and the end of 2005 – it would seem that the new legislation has just not succeeded in bring more perpetrators to justice.

Martin Narey, Barnardo’s Chief Executive said: “Sexual exploitation of children and young people is much more prevalent in London than most of its citizens appreciate. Some of the capital’s most vulnerable children suffer at the hands of adults who, all too often, suffer no consequences following their abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in London. These may not always be the most attractive or lovable children, but they are children and they are failed and forgotten by us.”

The report, ‘Forgotten and Failed’ is part of a long term Barnardo’s campaign which began with the report ‘Whose Daughter Next’ in 1998. We now run 16 specialist services throughout the UK, including two in London. The ‘Forgotten and Failed’ report will be followed up by a further national Barnardo’s report on sexual exploitation in winter 2007.

The findings of the report make for grim reading:

• Sexual exploitation is not a formal police priority in London.
• New legislation has not succeeded in bringing sufficient perpetrators to justice.
• Most sexually exploited children in London do not have access to a specialist support service.
• Vulnerable young people are ending up criminalised because they are too scared to name their abusers.
• As a result, many of the capital’s most vulnerable children are still at risk from sexual exploitation.