Horrendous news reported by the Guardian this morning that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) – an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has denied compensation to around seven hundred children for sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of adults – even after those adults have been jailed:
CICA’s reasoning? That the children consented to their abuse.
What kind of people is this government made of? What kind of people is it employing in roles that require huge empathy and sensitivity?
Children CANNOT consent. They’re children – they’re legally incapable of giving consent.
That’s why it’s called abuse – and why it’s a crime.
Absolutely rightly, as a society we encourage the victims of abuse to come forward and we reassure them they are not to blame for what’s been done to them – one of the most common reactions among victims is to feel somehow responsible. This wicked nonsense is telling them the exact opposite – and they’re getting the message, with one children’s charity telling the Guardian. of a victim feeling “devastated and left with the feeling that she was somehow responsible for the abuse she had suffered”.
There have long been allegations that the Tory party covers for paedophiles. Now it seems they have decided to side against the victims even if it means throwing out commonsense and basic legal principles.