"We're doing lots of things, but I'm not convinced they're the right things": Perspectives on Children's Rights for Child Victims of Sexual Offences in the UK

This paper draws on the findings of a research project which included qualitative focus-group research with a range of professionals working with child victims of sexual offences in the UK. The research formed part of a... [ view full abstract ]

This paper draws on the findings of a research project which included qualitative focus-group research with a range of professionals working with child victims of sexual offences in the UK. The research formed part of a UKIERI- funded joint project which has been conducted jointly by the University of Central Lancashire (UK), and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (India). The project aimed to outline, assess and evaluate the extent to which children’s rights are protected, promoted and maintained in the context of sexual offences.

This paper will examine the UK professionals’ expressed views, evaluating critically the extent to which legal and procedural protections of child victims interlink with legal and procedural provisions to enforce children’s rights. A core challenge is that, over the last thirty years, awareness of CSA has become much more widespread, with police and other criminal justice system professionals receiving comprehensive and relevant training. Other, emergent forms of abuse, such as CSE and online abuse and exploitation, are now receiving similar amounts of attention. The key problem as identified by the professionals is that now there are many initiatives which aim to assist child victims, especially in relation to encouraging reporting and giving evidence in court, but there is less evidence that this provides the most appropriate response to the needs of child victims themselves, and the multiplicity of responses means a lack of a joined-up co-ordinated focus. In addition, the extent and nature of the legal status of children’s rights in the UK is a matter of ongoing debate. The paper will outline the results of the focus group discussions, highlighting the issues and concerns raised, and identify future avenues for research and policy development.