CYP Now - CSE focus 'diverts attention from other forms of abuse', NSPCC warns

The current focus on tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) is distracting policymakers from efforts to combat other forms of child abuse, the NSPCC has warned.

According to the NSPCC, 90 per cent of abuse is carried out by someone the victim knows, such as a family member. But the charity believes the debate around child abuse has become too focused on CSE, as well as crimes committed by celebrities.

The issue of CSE has grown in prominence in recent years on the back of an independent report by Professor Alexis Jay which estimated that 1,400 children in Rotherham were sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013.

The government went on to launch a high-profile strategy in March 2015, containing a raft of measures to tackle CSE.

But the NSPCC is concerned that the focus on CSE has distracted politicians, the media and justice agencies from other more prevalent forms of child sex abuse.

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