The home secretary, Suella Braverman, announced plans at the start of April for individuals working with children in England to have a new legal duty to report knowledge or suspicions of child sex abuse.
The announcement was made after an Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, described the sexual abuse of children as an “epidemic” that leaves a large number of victims in its wake.
The inquiry, which spanned seven years and focused on institutional failings in England and Wales, concluded that individuals in positions of trust should be legally obligated to report incidents of child sexual abuse.
At the time of the announcement, Ms Braverman said: “Child sexual abuse is one of the most horrific crimes facing our society, it devastates victims, families, and whole communities.
“The protection of children is a collective effort. Every adult must be supported to call out child sexual abuse without fear.”
Following that announcement, a survey by YouGov revealed that 89% of teachers are in favour of the proposed changes, with 66% expressing strong support and only 5% opposing the plan.
As part of the survey of teachers they were asked – Have you ever had pupils that you suspected were being sexually abused?’
According to the findings, 36% of teachers said “Yes I have” had pupils whom they suspected were experiencing sexual abuse.
This figure increases to 42% among older teachers who have been in the profession for a longer time.
In schools where a higher proportion of pupils are on free school meals, which is an approximate measure of the number of students from low-income families in the school, the percentage of teachers suspecting that their pupils are being sexually abused rises to as high as 50%.
