Survive charity calls on PM to act on child sexual abuse report

It has taken seven years for the report by Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) to publish its final findings into decades of "institutional" failures to protect children in their care from sexual abuse, the Survive charity said.

The charity, which provides specialist trauma-informed counselling to survivors of sexual violence, is now asking Rishi Sunak to commit to delivering the report's recommendations.

Mags Godderidge, CEO of Survive, said: "As a charity focused on supporting survivors of sexual violence in York and North Yorkshire – including the new Prime Minister’s constituency, we are asking him to act now, show leadership and commit to delivering the 20 recommendations in the IICSA report to protect future generations of children from sexual abuse.

"Many of the report’s recommendation are within Prime Minister Sunak’s gift and we would ask that he gives this report and its findings the attention it deserves. He is facing really difficult decisions, however making decisions around the implementation of the IICSA report recommendations should be one of the easiest.

"We call on him and all members of his Cabinet to learn the lessons of the past that led to childhoods being turned into living nightmares – nightmares that some survivors still experience to this day.”

The charity support survivors of sexual violence in York and North Yorkshire (Image: Survive)

The 20 report recommendations include the creation of Child Protection Authorities in England and Wales, a Cabinet Minister for Children as well as a national scheme to compensate victims and survivors and guaranteed access to specialist, therapeutic support.

In identifying what went wrong and why across a wide range of institutions, the independent inquiry team said it hopes that institutions will change and make improvements in how they protect children and prevent these failures happening again in the future.

The report also highlighted the long-term and sometimes life-long impact of child sexual abuse on an individual’s physical health, mental health and interpersonal relationships.

Mags added: "At Survive, we know that it can take survivors years if not decades to tell someone about what happened to them. We also know that with the right therapeutic support, survivors can rebuild their lives, relationships and reach their potential."

Last year, the charity supported 668 survivors - a 23 per cent increase on the number supported in the previous 12-months and a staggering 300 per cent increase on the number supported six years ago.

To access Survive services, visit the website at: https://www.survive-northyorks.org.uk/ call the team on 01904 638813 or contact the Supporting Victims Unit in North Yorkshire on 0808 168 9293.