We need joined-up policies on child protection
4 min read
Child protection must be the Government’s first priority – and the Domestic Violence Bill is a crucial place to start, writes Baroness Benjamin
We all have hopes and wishes for the 2020s, and mine is that we finally get serious about protecting and supporting children who are vulnerable to crime. It’s been 10 years since I first took my seat in the House of Lords and a lot has changed in the last decade – but perhaps most of all for children. The rise of the internet, new technologies – gaming, social media, and more – the way children learn, play, and communicate has changed completely.
It’s opened up new opportunities we could never have dreamt of, but it has also paved the way for new dangers. In protecting children’s wellbeing we must look at the new risks they are exposed to and how we can protect them. Just like the legal requirement to wear a seatbelt, and the ban on buying alcohol until the age of 18, the internet must come with safeguards.
I have taken a life-long interest in children’s wellbeing and, as vice president of Barnardo’s, I have a special interest in this issue. Because children as young as seven are stumbling across ‘aggressive’ and ‘violent’ pornography online – with videos of gang rape just a few clicks away. A recent report from Barnardo’s found 78% of children (aged 11-15) they support had accessed unsuitable or harmful content through social media.
“Children traumatised by crime, including knife crime, are some of the most vulnerable in our society”
Other harms include online gambling, gaming addiction, forums promoting self-harm and suicide, the ability to be targeted by gangs and so on. The Government has made positive noises on these issues but so far it’s been words rather than actions. Every day with no ‘age gate’, no ‘duty of care’ for tech companies, and no regulator with teeth is another day that children are at risk online.
I strongly urge the Government to make child protection its very first priority. Because some things are too important to delay. That’s why I am now lobbying to upgrade the minister for children to Cabinet level to ensure we have joined-up policies. We must not forget that, just as some aspects of childhood have changed dramatically in recent years, other things have stayed the same and not always in a good way. Domestic abuse is a horrific crime which destroys lives at every social level. Children are too often ‘hidden victims’ but with today’s understanding of trauma, and what we often call ‘adverse childhood experiences’, the impact of this abuse has been brought into the light.
So I welcome the Government’s commitment to reintroduce the Domestic Abuse Bill, which should mark a vital change in how we support victims and address perpetration. But there is a risk the new Bill will stop short of introducing a duty to make support available to all children who are affected – with those living in the family home (rather than a refuge) at risk of missing out.
This Bill is a crucial opportunity to protect children from getting caught in a lifelong cycle of violence. We must work together in Parliament and with partners, like charities, to get it right. Children traumatised by crime, including knife crime – which is fast becoming an epidemic in inner cities – are some of the most vulnerable in our society. But with the right support we know they can go on to recover – and to thrive. The tragedy is that this support is in short supply, especially when it comes to mental health. According to the NHS, one in eight children aged 5-19 in England has at least one mental health disorder and there are reports that four in 10 GPs are now advising parents to pay for private care rather than face delays of up to 18 months.
This government, like all governments, has to balance many competing priorities. But ultimately I believe it’s our duty to speak up for children because they don’t have a voice or a vote. Childhood lasts a lifetime – so let’s not push children to the back of the queue.
Baroness Benjamin is a Lib Dem peer and vice president of Barnardo's. Her Oral Question on improving access to services for children and young people who have been traumatised by crime is scheduled for Wednesday 5 February
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