The evidence is clear.

So why are we still getting this wrong?

Over the years, I’ve sat in rooms where:

*survivors have spoken
*professionals have reflected
*inquiries have reported
*and recommendations have been made

Including the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) Final Report 2022.

And yet…

We are still seeing:
*children not recognised as victims
*risks known but not acted upon
*parents not being listened to
*inconsistent safeguarding responses

This is not because we don’t know what to do.

It’s because we do not have a shared understanding across society of what the law actually says and what responsibility every adult holds.

Child sexual abuse is not one issue.

It happens:
*within the family home
*within communities
*within care systems
*and increasingly through digital environments

and usually happens across some or all of the above.

It is:
*relational
*behavioural
*systemic
*and now technological

And here’s the reality:

👉 Restricting social media alone won’t fix this
👉 Policing alone won’t fix this
👉 Policy alone won’t fix this

Because we cannot solve a multi-layered problem with single-layer solutions.

What’s missing is a shared foundation.

A clear, accessible understanding that:
*children cannot consent to abuse
*grooming removes choice
*responsibility sits with the adult
*the law applies to everyone

That’s why I’ve written this paper:

📄 Why We Need a National Public Awareness Framework for Protecting Children

It brings together:
*law
*lived experience
*system failures
*current research
*and a clear direction forward

This is not about blame.

It’s about clarity.

🔴 This is a call to action.

If you work in:
*safeguarding
*policy
*education
*health
*justice
*research
*media

👉 We need to start aligning around a shared understanding.

If you are a parent, carer, or member of the public:

👉 Take time to understand what the law says
👉 Talk about it
👉 Share it

And to government and national bodies:

👉We need a national public awareness campaign on child sexual abuse — in line with IICSA recommendations.

Because right now we have the law, we have the evidence, we have the recommendations.

What we don’t have is consistent understanding and application.

And without that children remain at risk.

💬 I welcome constructive engagement on this.

📩 If you want to be part of taking this forward — please connect or message me.