Thanks for backing Flaw in Law drive

IT’S taken two years, but from April 3 the UK government is finally enacting a much-needed law that will make it illegal for adults to send sexual messages to children. Amazingly, before this law was put into place, police couldn’t arrest adults who groomed young people in England and Wales in this way and could only take action if they met a child.

Our NSPCC Flaw in the Law campaign demanding this change gained widespread support when it was launched, with more than 50,000 people calling for action. The government passed the anti-grooming law in 2015 but it inexplicably sat on the statute books for two years without being enacted.

But after continuous campaigning from all our supporters the Secretary of State for Justice, Elizabeth Truss, has finally taken action and the flawed law is set to be fixed.

From April 3 any adult caught breaking the law will face up to two years in prison and be automatically placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register. The law will cover both online and offline communication, including social media, email, and letters.

I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a massive thank-you to everyone who supported our Flaw in the Law campaign over the last few years.

Your commitment and dedication have closed a legal loophole and helped protect a future generation of children from harm.

We know that the fight for safer childhoods is not over, but measures like these make a huge difference in our bid to protect children from all forms of abuse. Des Mannion Head of NSPCC Cymru/Wales