Britain: Child sexual abuse has reached epidemic proportions
Child sexual abuse is rampant in Britain, with victims facing horrifying acts hushed up for decades as institutions and authorities prioritize arrests over the welfare of children, according to figures released by an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. to the public.
The investigation, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), one of the largest to be carried out in Britain, speaks of global dimensions of the crisis and warns that children are at risk if action is not taken.
“The nature and scale of the abuse we encountered is shocking and extremely unpleasant,” social services worker Alexis Jay told reporters. “This is not a historical aberration that happened decades ago, it is a growing problem, a national epidemic.”
The investigation began in July 2014 following the revelations of the abuse, some of which date back decades, most notably the scandal involving BBC star Jimmy Savile, when, posthumously, he was revealed to be one of the most notorious perpetrators of sexual abuse.
15 investigations and dozens of reports were published that include evidence of incidents of abuse in institutions such as the Catholic Church, the Church of England or Westminster.
Politicians, church leaders and social services ignored and covered up complaints to protect perpetrators and arrests, while police showed undue deference to those perpetrators involved in public life, the investigation found.
As of February 2017, the investigation has examined 725 witnesses and 2.5 pages of evidence. More than 6,000 victims have recounted their experiences to the investigation’s Truth Project.
Alexis Jay stated that the incidents of abuse of children, toddlers and infants were often accompanied by extreme violence and acts of sadism.
“It is appalling and humiliating and its consequences often haunt the victims for the rest of their lives,” he said.
The numbers of victims who suffered and continue to suffer are staggering. The 2019 survey says there are 3.1 million victims and survivors of sexual abuse in England and Wales, that’s 7.5% of the 18-75 year old population.
Alexis Jay says that out of a group of 200 children, 10 boys and more than 30 girls have been sexually abused before the age of 16. According to the report, even during the investigations, the scale of online abuse was increasing dramatically.
Source: RES-MPE