Call to boost protection for older teenagers

Research by The Children's Society has found that one in every 50 teenagers aged 16- or 17-years-old, around 25,000 in total, are at risk of emotional, physical or sexual abuse or not being provided with adequate food or clothing.

The study has been published ahead of a House of Commons debate on Monday (23 February) of the Serious Crime Bill, which contains provisions on abuse and neglect.

Despite being the most at-risk group, current legislation does not give older teenagers the same legal protection as younger children.

Currently, child cruelty laws relating to neglect, ill-treatment and abandonment only apply to children up to the age of 15.

The Children’s Society is calling for legislation to be extended to cover older teenagers.

In addition, the charity wants to see child abduction warning notices, which are used by police to disrupt the contact between children and harmful adults like drug dealers or sexual predators, apply to 16- and 17-year-olds.

Currently they only apply to children aged 15 and under and looked-after children.

The charity claims there is public support for the move, with 82 per cent of more than 1,000 parents of school-aged children surveyed by the charity saying abuse and neglect legislation should apply to older teenagers.

Lily Caprani, strategy and policy director at The Children’s Society, said: “It is nonsensical that children aged 16 and 17 are at most risk of abuse and neglect, and yet aren’t given the same legal protection as younger children.

“Victims of cruelty and abuse can experience devastating mental and physical harm that can blight the rest of their lives.

"In the eyes of the law, they are children until they are 18 yet the law does not sufficiently protect from abuse and cruelty.”