The report, Protecting children from harm: A critical assessment of child sexual abuse in the family network in England and priorities for action which outlines the findings of the first phase of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse in the Family Environment (CSAFE), says much of the abuse which happens in families goes unreported and estimates the true scale of child sexual abuse in England is likely to be significantly greater than official figures suggest.

Though police and local authorities recorded around 50,000 cases of sexual abuse over the two-years to March 2014, it is estimated that as many as 450,000 children were abused over the same period – meaning that only 1 in 8 received the vital intervention needed to keep them safe and help to overcome their experiences.

Jenny Pearce, Professor of Young People and Public Policy at the University of Bedfordshire and a member of CSAFE Inquiry Panel said: “We know from existing research that the extent of sexual abuse of children has been underestimated and hidden from public view.

“The existing onus on the child to tell others about the abuse means we still have under-reporting. This report is a wake up call, giving us the opportunity to better understand the extent and nature of sexual abuse within the family environment.”

The report found the majority of victims go unidentified because the services that protect them, including the police and social services, are geared towards children self-referring or reporting abuse, although they rarely do this.  Often, children do not even recognise that they have been abused until they are much older.

The Children’s Commissioner has called for urgent action to improve the prevention and early identification of child sexual abuse and the support provided to its victims.

Anne Longfield said: “In recent years the terrible experiences of sexual abuse that some children have suffered in institutions or at the hands of groups of perpetrators have come to light and preventing and tackling these been made a priority. 

“We must now wake up to and urgently address the most common form of child sexual abuse – that which takes place behind the front door within families or their trusted circle.”

The report, which has taken a year to complete, reveals:

• Only 1 in 8 children who are sexually abused are receiving help from professionals
• Up to 400,000 cases go unreported because children do not come forward and tell people about their abuse according to estimates
• that girls are much more likely to suffer abuse – though males may be under-represented because they are less likely to report abuse or for it to be identified
• Children often do not recognise they have been abused until they are older
• professionals working with children need additional support to help them identify victims of sexual abuse.

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. Protecting children from harm: A critical assessment of child sexual abuse in the family network in England and priorities for action has been written on the basis of evidence from: the Police and children’s social services departments; meetings with expert practitioners across England; and a survey of adult survivors of child sex abuse. A number of experts gave oral evidence to the Child Sex Abuse in the Family Environment Inquiry secretariat and panel.
2. The report outlines the findings of the first phase of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into child sexual abuse in the family environment. For the purposes of the Inquiry child sexual abuse in the family environment is defined as sexual abuse perpetrated or facilitated in or out of the home, against a child under the age of 18, by a family member, or someone otherwise linked to the family context or environment, whether or not they are a family member. Within this definition, perpetrators may be close to the victim (e.g. father, uncle stepfather), or less familiar (e.g. family friend, babysitter).
3. In this phase of the Inquiry, the Commissioner aimed to assess the scale and nature of child sexual abuse in the family environment in England, which is currently detected and undetected by statutory agencies.
4. Data gathered for this Inquiry relates to the two year period April 2012 – March 2014. The Multiple Systems Estimation (MSE) modelling was used to estimate the number of victims. Based on the data gathered by the Inquiry, the Commissioner estimates that 400,000 – 450,000 children in England were victims of child sex abuse between April 2012 and March 2014.  Therefore, the number of victims and survivors known to authorities is 1 in 8.  The MSE model is limited by the quality of the data available, though it is consistent with other research findings on the likely prevalence of CSA in England.
5. Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England has responsibility in law for promoting and protecting children’s rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.  This includes listening to what children and young people say about things that affect them and encouraging adults making decisions to always take their views and interests into account.
6. The post of Children’s Commissioner was created following a recommendation in the Inquiry into Victoria Climbié’s death and requests from a number of children’s sector charities to do so.  The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that countries should ideally have an individual such as a Children's Commissioner or Ombudsman responsible for children's rights.
7. Jenny Pearce is Professor of Young People and Public Policy, University of Bedfordshire, which was awarded the Queens Anniversary Prize for research on child sexual exploitation influencing safeguarding in 2013.  She is Joint Director of the ‘International Centre: Researching Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking’ managing applied child centred, child protection research. Her research, consultancy and publications focus on preventing sexual violence against children and she works with a range of national and international agencies towards this aim. She is developing an international network of agencies developing practice based evidence for preventing child sexual exploitation and sexual violence against children.