When one thinks of CSA and Justice, they think of a criminal process of arrest, sentencing and remedy. In the world of CSA, that is anything but the truth..

In CSA there are many hurdles to get over. The first is the fact that you are a child. You may not have words or a proper understanding to explain what is happening. As a child, you can be manipulated by your abuser. People who failed in caring for you may also manipulate you. Those who suspect abuse and those who investigate abuse can do the same. The list goes on.

Once you find an avenue, it is often long after the abuse. Once you have grown up, you realize what took place is wrong. Often, social work teams do not keep proper records. These records often lack specific details that can be valuable in courts and investigations. Social care teams often hide the abuse of foster children in their care. They do this by using trauma behaviors to attack the child’s character.

Jenny is 12 years old. Jenny is lashing out in school. Jenny can be rude to social workers and staff. Plenty of records will talk about Jenny’s behavior. They will describe her character as flawed. Collective remarks will be made about Jenny being an orphan as a reason for hostility and lack of attachment. They rarely mention that Jenny was assaulted by an older peer in foster care. She did not receive the emotional support she needed. That the lack of proper attachments in the care environment, hinders growth. Which also creates reciprocated flawed attachment behaviors in looked after children. They won’t talk about Jenny’s behavior declining within foster care. Social care teams won’t be honest about foster children disclosing sexual abuse to them. Police, foster parents and social workers will call multiple children like Jenny liars, and deny them due process under legislation. Often events of abuse are by people social care teams facilitated access, either through placement, person or environment. Jenny’s hostility and rude behavior stem from her foster care abuse, and subsequent neglect in foster care. Her experiences there directly influence her actions, and the way she sees the world.

Once Jenny grows up and learns about the true injustice she faced, in protective custody as a ward of court. She encounters the police, and courts. They use descriptions of character flaws, the lack of records, and evidence in social care records. Evidence that draws attention to institutional bias, are omitted and ignored. Apologies from Local Authority social care teams, about known about sexual abuse not acted upon, is minimal within court. Which often works in social care and linked institutions favor, in terms of taking accountability and remedying girls like Jenny. Children in foster even if they are believed, and have evidence there abuse was known about for 5 years. These groups still struggle to get accountability and remedy from the social care teams who failed them. Sexually abused children in care, never get to court. Everything is done outside of court, and is covered up in every way possible. Any report that does show failures and abuse, will have confidential all over it.

In my opinion, society needs to do better. So far, there is more smoke and mirrors than real action. We need actions that produce consistent results. All the money spent on the big investigation uncovered only the abuse that was investigated in picked areas. This meant places like Bristol City were not scrutinized, and can mitigate any loss against those failures. Than build a scheme that addresses those failures, and gives an easy process for victims. From my experience, Bristol City Council facilitates abuse. Take no accountability in any shape or form, unless forced to do so. Then, apologies are followed by legal denials.

Note* Jenny is a hypothetical name!