CYP Now - Tables must be turned in favour of sexual exploitation victims

Will 2014 mark a watershed year for vulnerable children in Britain? A watershed when, finally, the bleak reality of sexual abuse and exploitation that has for too long gone unchallenged, is recognised? A watershed when the institutions and bodies that have all too often turned a blind eye or, worse, been part of the network of cover-up, are at last held to account and change the way they work? And a watershed for the way that we all as individuals and communities view children and offer them the support and protection they need?

In a month when child sexual exploitation (CSE) has dominated headlines, we must ensure there is both the will and the determination at the highest levels to make this happen.

Behind the statistics are shattered lives. The number of victims in Rotherham is estimated at 1,400. Every one of these is or was a child. Every one of these children was let down by the authorities that were supposed to be protecting them. Professor Alexis Jay's Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham found that even today there is little or no specialist support for the victims who suffered appalling abuse, despite their acute distress.

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