‘Futile’ battle for justice adds to child abuse victims’ trauma

CHILD sex abuse victims are being retraumatised by fighting a “futile” battle for compensation, a governmentordered inquiry has found.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) yesterday published its report on the accountability and reparations strand of its wideranging investigations.

The researchers concluded that survivors were often retraumatised during “frustrating, hostile and ultimately futile” battles for justice in the courts.

One victim, Peter Robson, who waived his right to anonymity during the IICSA hearings, told the panel: “I feel I need a lifetime of help … There’s times I hate myself.”

The IICSA panel also found that survivors regularly miss out on compensation owed to them by perpetrators. According to the latest available Ministry of Justice (MOJ) data, just 0.02 per cent of criminal compensation or- ders (CCOS) made between 2013 and 2017 were in relation to child sexual abuse.

CCOS require a person convicted of an offence to pay their victim for personal injury, loss or damage arising from it.

In 2017 there were a total of 124,835 CCOS, 6,861 child sexual abuse offenders and just 26 CCOS in child sexual abuse cases – a figure which has stayed relatively stable since 2013.

The IICSA made a series of recommendations. Among them, it suggested that the MOJ make more use of CCOS.

Prof Alexis Jay, the inquiry chairman, said: “Criminal and civil court proceedings for redress can be frustrating, hostile and ultimately futile.

“Many are left re-traumatised and deeply unsatisfied with the often lengthy and confusing litigation.”

A government spokesman said it would “carefully consider” the inquiry’s recommendations.