The 5 – 11 February 2024 marks the 7th annual Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. This is the UK’s national week to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence and provide an opportunity for any organisation or individual to engage in dialogue.

The campaign provides an opportunity for others to join the conversation, and help to amplify the voices of those that should be heard. Over the years, there has been a shift in discussions around sexual abuse and sexual violence – what once was taboo is now more openly discussed and has become a focus for society. This follows many of the recent reports and investigations into failures surrounding child sexual exploitation (CSE) and historical abuse claims, highlighting the high rates of abuse in our society.

On 22nd October 2022 the IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) published its final report, which explained the evidence it had taken from thousands of witnesses, and made recommendations to the Government, which would improve child protection.

The IICSA was set up by the Home Secretary (at the time Theresa May) in 2015, after it emerged that many national figures were found to have sexually abused children. David Greenwood has taken part in most of the IICSA investigations and has a clear insight into the operation of the civil justice system as it affects child abuse survivors.

David is currently campaigning alongside others, including the Inquiry’s former chair and other staff members to get the recommendations into law.

David comments: “Whilst I understand every Government will have its political priorities the protection of children vulnerable to abuse and exploitation should be recognised as an urgent need. The 7 year Inquiry made very sensible recommendations which if implemented will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of children who are currently not protected.”

The demand for accountability is at an all-time high, as present in the recent public outcry following on from the review into historical CSE in Rochdale. Our team have worked on a number of high-profile cases, including many group actions. These have included the Rotherham grooming scandal, the Anglican and Catholic abuse cases, council care homes, Medomsley Detention Centre and the Lambeth Council cases.

During the campaign week, hundreds of events take place across the country, online and in person, to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence. The aim is to promote healthy discussions regarding sexual abuse and violence, in order to shine a light on what is normally a topic that isn’t discussed. It allows individuals and organisations to engage in conversation, amplify survivor’s voices and point out all of the incredible resources available to those who have suffered sexual abuse and/ or violence.

Join the Switalskis team and thousands of others across the UK as we say #itsnotok. You can join the conversation 
on social media to show your support throughout the week, as well as attending events in your locality or online. 

There is more work to be done

As a firm, we have worked with more than 100 victims of the Rotherham scandal and have now joined Keighley and Ilkely MP Robbie Moore’s campaign for a Bradford Review into Child Sexual Exploitation.

Operation Dalesway is gathering pace. Dalesway is the police investigation into child sexual exploitation offences in the Bradford area. West Yorkshire police are uncovering hundreds of offences against girls by grooming gangs and have prosecuted a staggering number of individuals already with many more to come. In my opinion we need an in depth investigation into the sexual exploitation of young girls in Bradford.

Robbie Moore MP for Keighley and Ilkley is calling for a full independent inquiry. Sign the petition to hold an inquiry into CSE in the Bradford district: https://action.conservatives.com/stop-cse/ .

How Switalskis can help

At Switalskis, we're committed to providing a safe, caring and confidential environment where you can freely discuss your concerns and questions. We understand that the legal process can be daunting, especially when dealing with such a sensitive issue.

If you have been a victim of physical and/or sexual abuse, we have a team of experienced child abuse solicitors who are more than happy to speak to you about your case. We understand the sensitive nature of these cases and know that people can find it difficult to talk about, this is why all our solicitors are trained to handle cases with care and discretion.

If you would like more information on making a claim, we have put together a collection of resources , including guides on the types of claims we can help with, how we can help you claim child abuse compensation and questions to ask when looking for a child abuse solicitor. If you would like to speak to one of our solicitors, call 0800 138 4700 or email help@switalskis.com.