In 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published its final report looking at child sexual abuse across multiple organisations.
IICSA was set up in 2015 following serious concerns that multiple organisations had failed and were continuing to fail to protect children in their care from sexual abuse. This included allegations relating to sports organisations and clubs.
Fifteen investigations were carried out during the Inquiry. In that time, information was sought from the NSPCC for 9 investigations. These included investigations into residential schools, the internet, religious organisations and child sexual exploitation.
Author: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Published: October 2022
Key findings
The IICSA final report found that:
- child sexual abuse and exploitation took many forms, and often involved multiple perpetrators
- historically, measures to protect children from sexual abuse were inadequate or non-existent
- individuals and institutions often thought children were lying when disclosing abuse
- victims were often blamed for their own sexual abuse
- within statutory agencies, there wasn’t enough emphasis on the important work of child protection, so decisions about children weren’t always based on the interests of the child
- multi-agency arrangements didn't focus enough on child protection
- there wasn't enough support available for child and adult victims and survivors
- the harm caused by sexual abuse cannot be overstated, and can be lifelong
- child sexual abuse isn’t a problem of the past, and is endemic within England and Wales since the rise in online abuse
- this is not just a national crisis, but a global one
IICSA made many recommendations in the report on how governments and organisations can make improvements to tackle child sexual abuse.
NSPCC response
The NSPCC wants to see a wholescale change in tackling child sexual abuse that would focus on strengthening:
- prevention (through strong safeguarding policies and procedures in all organisations)
- the recognition of the signs of sexual abuse
- the knowledge of how to report
- the availability of recovery support services; and
- the response from child protection agencies.
It is vital that everyone recognises they have a role to play in keeping children safe from sexual abuse. For further information read NSPCC's CASPAR briefing of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s (IICSA’s) final report, on NSPCC Learning website.