Regulated and Other Activities (Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse) Bill [HL]

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 17th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

My noble friend Baroness Grey-Thompson’s Bill is overdue and critically important, and she has worked tirelessly on it. I will address healthcare settings where, sadly, abuse has been shown to occur. We all remember the horror of Jimmy Savile’s catalogue of abuse that went back years, and the sense of disbelief that it could have gone on under the very noses of those in a position of trust.

The 2020 Truth Project revealed how vulnerabilities are heightened in the context of healthcare. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse revealed that 83% of those sexually abused in healthcare contexts reported it as sexual abuse by a healthcare professional. Furthermore, 48% reported that someone else in the institution knew about the sexual abuse. Many of the children who were sexually abused were unaware of whether other children were also being abused, and factors such as power dynamics were used by perpetrators to exercise that abuse. Characteristics of the healthcare context used by perpetrators to abuse included routine access to children, the power and authority they have as healthcare practitioners, children’s respect for adults’ authority, their lack of knowledge of normal examinations, and cultures of abuse that happen in some institutions. There are many reasons why children, or anyone, would not report, including not knowing that the behaviours are not okay, the fear of not being believed, feelings of shame and embarrassment, or having no one to whom they can disclose.

A key finding is that vulnerabilities are heightened in the context of healthcare due to the unique nature of the position of trust and authority occupied by healthcare practitioners. In addition, although many disclosed the sexual abuse to trusted adults such as parents or healthcare professionals during childhood, very few were believed and some were dismissed by healthcare professionals as sick, “crazy” or deluded.

For children to describe what happened and to later be able to give evidence against a perpetrator, they need a great deal of support, but not all victims have access to that. Back in the 1980s, I was a GP to three children’s homes. Despite suspicions, shamefully, we did not know how to help the children feel safe to disclose, and then one Christmas, the children themselves burned down one of the homes and all our suspicions became confirmed. Since then, all too often I have had patients with different problems say, “I never told anyone before” and then disclose deep trauma, often sexual abuse.

Those who become aware of abuse do not know where to go with their suspicions, or the best way to support the child, and they are often fearful of being accused of making a false accusation or fear recriminatory accusations from the abuser themselves, or from others. The no-detriment clause in the Bill is essential. It takes courage to report suspicions of something that you wish did not exist. That is why the system of taking knowledge of abuse to the local authority seems the safest option for both the victim and the reporter. The noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, has helpfully produced Ben Mathews’ checklist as a great help for the Government in taking this forward. I am sure that all in this House hope that the Bill will become formally adopted in the principle in which it is written.