This week, we’re putting the spotlight on intrafamilial child sexual abuse, with two events for parliamentarians and campaigners. When we think about the horrors of child sexual abuse, recent stories that have shaken the public consciousness may come to mind. There has been much coverage of the failures of the child protection system to protect girls from group-based abuse, the public figures using their fame to access and abuse children, and the new, unregulated AI tools people are using to generate sexual images.
The most common form of child sexual abuse, however, doesn’t involve AI, billionaires, or grooming gangs.
Intrafamilial child sexual abuse is sexual abuse by a family member, or someone the child considers to be family. It is often left unspoken. Despite making up nearly half of child sexual abuse offences reported to the police*, we hear about intrafamilial abuse infrequently, if ever – in the news, in Parliament, or in wider culture.
Intrafamilial harm can be deeply difficult to talk about.
It upends the notion that a child is safest within their family. It forces us to acknowledge that child sexual abuse can exist within relationships where obligation, commitment, necessity, and love can silence survivors or preclude them from protection. It’s difficult to prevent and hides in plain sight. It also forces us to reckon with the possibility that child sexual abuse could happen to someone we love or be perpetrated by someone we love.
Whatever the reason for discomfort, if we want to prevent child sexual abuse, we need to focus on intrafamilial harm. Child sexual abuse is not inevitable – even when the solutions aren’t easy and obvious.
On Tuesday 30 June we’re co-hosting a panel event in the House of Commons, facilitated by Jess Asato MP. We’ll watch the New York Times op ed video featuring documentary filmmaker Amanda Mustard, who powerfully shares her family story.
We’ll follow this with a panel discussion featuring Amanda, broadcaster and author Alex Renton, Dame Annie Hudson, campaigner Chris Tuck, and our Head of Clinical Services and Forensic Psychologist Emma King.
The following day, on Wednesday 1 July, we’re hosting a full screening of Amanda’s documentary Great Photo, Lovely Life in central London, followed by a Q&A with Amanda.
Through these events, we hope to start a conversation and shine a light on what we can do to prevent intrafamilial child sexual abuse. We want to put preventing this insidious form of child sexual abuse at the top of the agenda.
*Intra-familial child sexual abuse | CSA Centre
Learn more about preventing child sexual abuse by reading Closer to Home, our joint report with the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse and Marie Collins Foundation.
Read the National Panel report on child sexual abuse within the family environment here, which sets out recommendations for the government on tackling intrafamilial harm.
Collaborate with us in our mission to prevent intrafamilial harm and all forms of child sexual abuse – donate to support us here.
Get in touch at comms@stopitnow.org.uk to work with us.
