Child victims of sexual abuse are waiting more than 600 days to see their attackers brought to justice, figures suggest. A report by the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre) found that in 2021/22 it took an average of 261 days for police to reach a charging decision after a crime was reported, and then another 353 days for the matter to be concluded in court.
That means there was an average of 614 days between the crime being logged and the court case ending. The report says police logged 103,055 child sexual abuse offences in 2021/22, a rise of 15% to the highest level recorded in England and Wales, but the CSA Centre believes the crimes are severely under-reported.
In England, local authorities also recorded more concerns about potential sexual abuse, with the risk being flagged up in 33,990 assessments of children, a rise of 15% on the previous year. And sexual assault referral centres, which offer medical and forensic help to victims, had initial contact with 8,213 children during the year, 13% more than in the previous 12 months.
