Children's sexual exploitation considered excluded in the strategy addressing violence against women and girls, causing dismay and outrage among advocates and affected individuals.
Child Sexual Abuse Excluded from UK's Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
A controversy has arisen over the UK government's decision to exclude Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSE) from its flagship Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy.
Poppy Eyre, a victim of child sexual abuse, has questioned the government's approach, expressing concern that if CSE is not included in the VAWG strategy, it may not receive the same level of importance as violence against women. Eyre was sexually abused and raped by her grandfather when she was four and was not aware of the nature of the abuse until she was 11.
The Home Office spokesperson acknowledged the overlap between CSE and VAWG but emphasized the need for a concerted action to tackle child sexual abuse. However, the spokesperson did not address Eyre's concern that child sexual abuse may not be given the same level of importance as violence against women if it is not included in the VAWG strategy.
An internal Home Office document titled "Scope of the Strategy... Our draft definition of VAWG" states that while it recognizes links between VAWG and child sexual exploitation, it is not "explicitly within the scope of the strategy".
Several major child protection organizations, including NSPCC, Barnardo's, and The Children's Society, have criticized this omission, warning that excluding CSE from the VAWG strategy risks overlooking thousands of affected girls and missing a key opportunity to address their needs comprehensively. Rape Crisis, a major support organization for women, echoed concerns that not including sexual violence toward girls would make the strategy incomplete in addressing all relevant forms of violence against females.
The government insists it is "working tirelessly" on both VAWG and child sexual exploitation and abuse through various programs, investments, and laws. However, it has made clear that its VAWG strategy will focus on women and girls generally, while child sexual abuse and exploitation will be handled by a separate plan ensuring the specialist response that those crimes require.
CSE includes crimes such as grooming and can involve both physical contact, like rape, or non-physical, such as forcing children to look at sexual images. The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse estimates 500,000 children in England and Wales are sexually abused every year.
The government has launched a national inquiry into grooming gangs to address child sexual abuse. Despite this, the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy being drafted by the government does not explicitly include child sexual exploitation.
Poppy's mother, Miranda Eyre, states that sexual abuse is violence against a child and cannot be separated from violence against women and girls. Eyre's concerns are shared by Rape Crisis, which suggests that having a separate plan for child sexual abuse could create a "dangerous" distinction between victims of domestic abuse and child sexual abuse.
The government has pledged to halve VAWG within a decade, by 2035. However, the exclusion of child sexual exploitation from the core VAWG strategy has been met with criticism for potentially fragmenting how violence against girls is addressed. The decision to treat CSE as a distinct issue requiring a separate, specialized response remains a point of contention and debate among stakeholders and campaigners.
- The controversy surrounding the UK government's VAWG strategy extends to the realm of policy-and-legislation, as questions arise about why child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSE) are not explicitly included in the strategy, potentially leading to unequal importance given to various forms of violence.
- The exclusion of child sexual abuse from the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, despite the shared nature of both issues and their significant intersection, has sparked debates in the politics and general-news realms, with several child protection organizations warning that this omission might overlook thousands of victims and hinder comprehensive addressing of their needs.
