UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman to make failure to report child sexual abuse illegal

The Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Suella Braverman, has announced her intention to make it illegal for people who work with children in England to fail to report cases of child sexual abuse. This move comes after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) recommended last year that people in positions of trust should be legally compelled to report such abuse. The inquiry had also referred to child sexual abuse as an ‘epidemic’ that leaves tens of thousands of victims in its wake. Although the proposed policy is subject to consultation, Braverman has stated that it will be aimed at safeguarding groups and individuals who work with vulnerable children, such as teachers and social workers, and that those who fail to report child sexual abuse will not be able to escape punishment.

Further details of the policy will be released in the coming days. The Home Secretary has also expressed her view that the policy will target criminals who hold cultural attitudes that are incompatible with British values. In interviews with UK-based media outlets, she has said that these criminals have been left unchallenged within their communities out of fear of being accused of racism or political correctness. She has described the perpetrators of child sexual abuse as groups of men, almost all of whom are British Pakistani, and has accused wider society of turning a blind eye to their activities.

Braverman has further stated that young, vulnerable, white, English girls are often targeted and harmed by these gangs of British Pakistani men, who work in child abuse rings or networks. She has described their activities as an ‘open secret’ and has criticized the ‘wilful turning of a blind eye’ that has enabled their abuse.

In summary, the Home Secretary has announced plans to make it illegal for people who work with children to fail to report child sexual abuse cases. This comes after a recommendation by the IICSA, which described child sexual abuse as an ‘epidemic’. The policy will target criminals who hold cultural attitudes that are incompatible with British values and who have been left unchallenged within their communities out of fear of being accused of racism or political correctness. Braverman has accused wider society of turning a blind eye to their activities and has highlighted that vulnerable, white, English girls are often targeted and harmed by these gangs of British Pakistani men.