IICSA Inquiry update –  August 2022

Posted on 22 August 2022

Inquiry update –  August 2022   In this month’s e-bulletin you’ll find: An announcement of the final Report publication date Overviews of the Inquiry’s 19 investigation reports An update on the Inquiry’s Legacy Project A piece revisiting research on support services for victims and survivors A video highlighting the need for the Inquiry and its investigations Reflections on the Inquiry’s internet report We hope you find this e-bulletin informative. Please get in touch if you’d like further details about our reports or information on the wider work of the Inquiry.   Inquiry announces publication date of its final Report   The Inquiry will publish its final Report on Thursday 20 October 2022.  It follows: – 325 days of public hearings with 725 witnesses – 2,457,543 pages of evidence processed – The publication of the Interim report, 19 investigation reports, 24 research reports, eight engagement reports – Eight seminars – Over 6,000 experiences shared with the Truth Project – 87 recommendations for change made The report will be published on the Inquiry website.   Overviews of all Inquiry investigation reports   The Inquiry has published 19 investigation reports covering a wide range of institutions. These reports are used by the Chair and Panel to help inform findings and shape recommendations to better protect children in the future.  Our Rapid Reads provide an in-depth overview of each of these reports, as well as the Inquiry’s Interim Report, summarising the key findings and any recommendations made. Find them on our website. Voices of child sexual abuse survivors at the heart of Inquiry’s Legacy Project   Benches and plaques across England and Wales will soon bear messages of hope for children as part of a landmark Legacy Project by the Inquiry. They are set to be placed at up to 200 locations around both countries, inscribed with uplifting messages gathered directly from victims and survivors who have taken part in the Inquiry’s Truth Project.    Each message has been chosen for reflection or to spark conversation, assuring victims and survivors they have been, and will continue to be heard. While every bench or plaque stands alone, the Inquiry’s Legacy Project creates a communal space for reflection on shared experiences, helping victims and survivors, however far apart, to never feel alone.   Uniting this community space online, the Inquiry has also launched a new legacy Instagram page enabling users to follow the development of the project, share their own photos, and provide a digital place of connection for anyone who wishes to be involved in the project. If you’d like to get involved by supporting the project on social media or within your local community, everything you’ll need can be found within our toolkit, which can be downloaded via our website.

Revisiting research on support services for victims and survivors   The Inquiry publishes research reports on a range of subjects. These contain information about our research methods and research findings. The support services for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse report was commissioned by the Inquiry and carried out by independent research consultants Broome Gekoski in conjunction with the University of Hertfordshire.   This report analysed the support service experiences of over 180 victims and survivors. It considered a number of key areas including survivors’ awareness of the services available to them, barriers to access and reasons for not doing so, as well as the effectiveness of services in meeting the needs of survivors. A summary of key findings can be viewed here. The need for an Inquiry and its investigations   As the Inquiry prepares to publish its final Report later this year, we’ve produced a short video summarising why the Inquiry was started, its remit and its investigations. Inquiry report finds risk of immeasurable harm to children from internet   The Inquiry published its report on the Internet and Child Sexual Abuse in March 2020. It highlighted an explosion in child sexual abuse facilitated by the internet; since 2016, approximately 400 to 450 people are arrested in the UK for related offences each month.    The report shone a light on the scale of child sexual abuse facilitated online, finding that the number of indecent images of children in circulation worldwide is in the many millions, with some images reaching unprecedented levels of depravity. The report concludes that internet companies must do more to pre-screen material before it is uploaded to their platforms and systems.    One of the recommendations made was that the government should introduce legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification techniques on all relevant devices. The report and its recommendations can be found on our website.   Please get in touch if you’d like further information about the Inquiry’s wider work. Best wishes, The Engagement team Email: [email protected]