A new inquiry into child sexual exploitation is welcome – but we need urgent action too
3 min read
Public inquiries are excellent at uncovering the truth but do little to ensure that lessons are actually learnt and lasting change delivered. That was what Professor Alexis Jay concluded when she appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee last week.
We were shocked by her experience of trying to engage with government to take forward her recommendations in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Before the IICSA was established in 2015, victims and survivors were badly let down by the very institutions that should have protected them. They were ignored when they should have been listened to. It took immense bravery for individuals to tell their stories about the abuse that took place, but time and again they were ignored. Action was woefully lacking. This was unacceptable then and it is unacceptable now.
We still have endemic child sexual abuse and a decade has been lost
But in the years since the report was published, little has apparently changed. Of the 20 recommendations put forward, none have been implemented. As parliamentarians we must demand, and force, action. New inquiries are welcome but there needs to be a concentrated effort to drive change through the recommendations in the Jay report, and a renewed focus from the police if we are to stop these horrific crimes from happening to more children.
Professor Jay painted a bleak picture of the response to her findings: government departments were not co-ordinating with each other, police forces were not prioritising the investigation of child sexual abuse, local government resisted conducting inquiries that would make reforms to meet the specific challenges of their localities even when there was evidence of organised grooming gangs in their area.
Statutory public inquiries are a standard response to any crisis or tragedy. They are invariably undertaken meticulously and deliver considered, constructive conclusions. When public inquiries are ignored, as they too often are, those directly affected suffer renewed anguish, and public trust in our political institutions is undermined. We must give further thought to the best institutional mechanisms for improving the scrutiny of statutory inquiries. We cannot leave it to chance.
Without a clear data set across the country, investigations will be hampered as resources will not be effectively targeted to combat child sexual abuse. Had this recommendation been implemented, there would now be a wealth of data to tackle this problem. Instead, we still have endemic child sexual abuse and a decade has been lost.
Ahead of the inquiry into the terrible tragedy in Southport, it is vital that those contributing to it do so in the spirit of preventing recurrence rather than avoiding blame. Individuals and institutions may come in for serious criticism, but this is a necessary spotlight.
The Home Affairs Committee has written to the Home Secretary with a series of questions on the political and institutional response to the IICSA report. We need to look at the detail of implementation plans and to monitor the progress of the local inquiries it has announced. Clearly, continued and intense parliamentary scrutiny is required to ensure that warm words translate into effective action.
Karen Bradley, Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands and chair of the Home Affairs Committee
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