UK government effectively allowed' child sexual abuse, campaigners say

"Christopher Jacobs, for the foundation, told the court that 17 of the 20 recommendations made by the IICSA had not been implemented as of 8 July 2025. The three recommendations at the centre of the claim relate to recording the age, ethnicity, religion and occupation of perpetrators of child sexual abuse, ending the use of pain-inducing restraint on children in custody and ensuring those in care have greater access to justice."

"Jacobs said about 500,000 children were sexually abused every year and that the government had effectively allowed the abuse to continue by taking an inconsistent and arbitrary approach to the recommendations. In written submissions, he said: The claimant maintains that the obfuscations, denials and delays by successive governments in implementing the thorough and extensively reasoned recommendations of the seven-year inquiry must have contributed to thousands of otherwise preventable cases."

"Mr Justice Kimblin allowed the legal action to continue, saying it was arguable that the foundation had a legitimate expectation that the government would implement the recommendations. The Home Office is defending the claim. Oliver set up her foundation after quitting her job as a detective with Greater Manchester police to become a whistleblower and speak out about police failings in child exploitation."

The Maggie Oliver Foundation is pursuing legal action against the UK Home Office for failing to fully implement recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which operated from 2015 to 2022. A high court judge ruled the case could proceed, finding the foundation had a legitimate expectation the government would adopt all recommendations. As of July 2025, only three of twenty recommendations had been implemented. The three central recommendations concern recording perpetrator demographics, ending pain-inducing restraint on children in custody, and improving justice access for children in care. The foundation argues the government's inconsistent approach has effectively allowed child abuse to continue, with approximately 500,000 children sexually abused annually.

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