\n<\/p>\n
Tougher laws promised by the government to protect children from sexual abuse will not apply to doctors, teachers or nurses, it has been revealed.<\/p>\n
The long-awaited \u201cduty to report\u201d legislation falls far below recommendations by the seven-year independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) and has triggered outrage from campaigners, lawyers and survivors of abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s \u2018mandatory reporting\u2019 amendment to the criminal justice bill is a confused and contradictory sham,\u201d said Michael Causton, from Voices Unbound, a support group for survivors of private school abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is worse than useless. This legislation will put back the cause of getting good law in place to protect children today in any institution, from schools and care homes to hospitals and sports club,\u201d he added. \u201cFailure to report abuse of a child should be a criminal offence punishable through the court system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last February, James Cleverly, the home secretary, announced he was bringing forward laws to better protect children from sexual predators. He promised to give a legal requirement for anyone in regulated activity relating to children in England, including teachers and healthcare professionals, to report it if they know a child is being abused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who fail to report child sexual abuse they are aware of, falling short of their legal duties, face being barred from working with young people,\u201d he added. \u201cAnyone who actively protects child sexual abusers \u2013 by intentionally blocking others from reporting or covering up the crime \u2013 could go to prison for seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the amendment to the criminal justice bill, published on Thursday, means that the seven-year sentence only applies to \u201cofficers of the crown\u201d \u2013 diplomats and the armed forces, very few of whom ever work with children. Headteachers, football club managers, scout leaders or care home executives are unaffected by the new legislation.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the bill does not mandate reporting of suspicions or indicators of abuse. It says that only hard evidence triggers that duty: seeing the abuse or photographs of it taking place, or disclosure by the child or the abuser.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no real punishment,\u201d said Alex Renton, a survivor and campaigning author. \u201cEvidence from other countries is that effective child safety needs to be backed by clear sanctions for failure to report. None are specified in this legislation, except for where someone intentionally prevents another from making a report.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther, the proposal allows a teacher unilaterally to decide not to report evidence of child sexual abuse if they think it not in the child\u2019s interest, or that someone else is or is about to report it,\u201d he added. \u201cIt makes criminal the act of preventing a report \u2013 but only if you\u2019re an \u2018officer of the crown\u2019 \u2013 leaving the headmasters who enabled our abusers to continue to cover up.\u201d<\/p>\n