New child abuse laws a ‘sham’ and ‘worse than useless’ says survivor

The Home Office said its amendment creates a legal requirement to report abuse, and that existing legislation means sanctions will apply if that does not happen.

Alan Collins, a leading child abuse lawyer, said in his view the amendment did not create such a legal requirement . He described the amendment as ‘window dressing’.

For decades institutions have covered up child abuse.

After the Jimmy Savile scandal the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse examined in detail how that happened.

The government has been consulting and considering its response. In February Home Secretary James Cleverly said that people working with children could lose their jobs if they failed to report abuse.

On Thursday the government published an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill which set out the new law, external.

It says there will be a duty to report but does not specify sanctions for failing to do so. It proposes a new offence for those who try to block or deter reporting.

Mr Renton said the amendment included several ‘get outs’ for those responsible for children.

He expressed concern that the law would not have stopped him being abused as a young boy.

Aged eight he had told his mother how a teacher would fondle him and other boys and then given them sweets. She reported this to the headmaster, who decided it was not in the children’s interests to tell the authorities.

That teacher went on to abuse other children, he said.