Prevention of child sexual abuse 'needs to be prioritised'

30th July 2010

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ePolitix.com speaks to Stop It Now! Wales campaign manager, Rebecca Wasinski about its campaign calling on the new Welsh Assembly Government elected in May 2011 to commit to the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Could you tell me a little bit about the 'Commit To Prevent' campaign?

We launched the 'Commit to Prevent!' campaign earlier this week. Essentially it is an influencing campaign, asking the Welsh Assembly Government which comes into power following the election in May 2011 to commit to the prevention of child sexual abuse.

There are two parts to the campaign.

Firstly, we are trying to ensure a commitment is made by the Welsh Political Parties in their manifestos to prevent child sexual abuse.

Secondly, there is a level of public engagement to this campaign. We want to get the public on board and gain public support for the points that we are calling for and what we would like to see the new Welsh Assembly Government to commit to.

What specific policy are you looking to be included in the manifestos?

We would like to see the Welsh Assembly Government put an all Wales Strategy in place for the prevention of child sexual abuse. This sets out a vision for the next five to ten years, highlighting their commitment to the vision. There is much we can do to prevent child sexual abuse, and we know what actions and activities will help – now we need to start delivering them. Political support and drive is essential.

Have you had any feedback from the political parties so far?

We have sent manifesto briefings to the political parties, and we have been invited to meet with the policy development teams within those political parties.

Why is it so important for the prevention of child sexual abuse to be included in the manifestos?

Essentially it is to draw attention to and prioritise this issue. We know from previous research on an UK level that child sexual abuse affects 1 in 6 children before the age of 16. It's a major problem that needs addressing by everybody, political parties and the wider community.

At the moment, there is a real gap in anything that really focuses on this particular issue. Stop it Now! Wales strives to make people more aware of being able to identify and prevent child sexual abuse in the first place.

We need this commitment from the Welsh Assembly Government to say this is a priority issue, because it is not at the moment – and there is the real gap.

Do you think the issue of child sexual abuse is still quite a taboo subject?

I think there is still a lot of fear around the issue amongst the public. This campaign is designed to empower and inform.

We are highlighting to people that this isn't a mysterious subject. This is a subject that people can understand. Child sexual abuse isn't inevitable and there are things that we can practically do to prevent it from happening – prevent children from being harmed.

Has there been any policy is this area from the Welsh Assembly Government in recent times?

No, and that's why there is a very real gap. The Welsh Assembly Government publishes guidance on child protection procedures, so what to do in the event a child discloses child sexual abuse. But there is no strategy for preventing it from happening in the first place.

The Stop it Now! Wales campaign is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government at the moment – but we know that much more needs to happen in terms of prevention, approaching this in a comprehensive and co-ordinated way. We are trying to highlight to the Welsh Assembly Government all of the resources and all of the services that are needed if we are serious about effectively preventing it.

What key message would you like to put across?

We would like this issue to be a subject that communities aren't afraid to address and believe that it is something we can stop – we need the help of the Welsh Assembly Government to help implement this.