FOR children who have experienced child sexual abuse, the delay between the defendant being charged and the criminal trial starting can be an unimaginably challenging period.

New research from the NSPCC revealed that the average number of days between a defendant in a child sexual abuse case in England and Wales being charged by police, and the start of the trial in court had surged by 43per cent in four years alone. In 2017 the average waiting time was 276 days, whilst in 2021 it shot up to 395.

Young people who have been abused may already be suffering with depression, self-harming, suicidal thoughts or PTSD, and drawing out this experience can only make an extremely distressing situation worse. It cannot be accepted that our judicial processes, which should be there to support victims, exacerbates the mental health impact of the abuse. Urgent action is needed to bring down these waiting times, and it is the job of the new Justice Secretary, to be appointed by the incoming Prime Minister, to urgently deal with this.

Some may say this issue is due to the pandemic, but while lockdown exacerbated the backlog, a decade of cuts to funding and court closures has also been a significant factor in rising delays in child sexual abuse cases reaching trial. In April the House of Commons Justice Committee called on the Government to do more to tackle the lengthy backlog and described capacity issues in courts as “endemic”.

This worrying situation is worsened by insufficient access to therapeutic support to help young people cope and recover from sexual abuse. In the most part, child victims are offered generic mental health services, not the more effective forms of therapy designed specifically to help those suffering the consequences of sexual abuse.

The Government has promised changes to our criminal justice system through its Victims Bill which will “amplify victims’ voices and makes sure victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system”, with aims to “improve support for victims to cope and recover from the impact of crime”. Under close inspection the Bill fails to mention child victims of sexual abuse a single time, so is overlooking the most vulnerable in society at a time when the courts system is also letting them down.

The journey to justice for young people who have endured the most distressing crimes is prolonging their suffering. With the right reforms, new legislation and proper funding for support services, change can be achieved.