Shock and Anger as Child Sexual Exploitation Victims Excluded from Government’s Violence Against Women Strategy

Published: 15 August 2025 — The English Chronicle Desk

Victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) have expressed shock and frustration after it emerged that they are “not explicitly within the scope” of the UK government’s forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, raising concerns about the protection and recognition of young survivors.

Sky News has obtained an internal Home Office document presented to key stakeholders in the sector, titled “Scope of the Strategy… Our Draft Definition of VAWG.” The paper acknowledges the links between VAWG and child sexual exploitation but confirms that child sexual abuse is not formally included within the draft framework.

CSE, a critical form of child abuse, is described by police as a “critical threat” to women and girls. It encompasses crimes ranging from grooming and online exploitation to physical abuse, including rape. Experts warn that excluding these crimes from a strategy intended to combat violence against women could leave many young victims underrepresented and underserved.

Poppy Eyre, a survivor of sexual abuse, told Sky News that the exclusion undermines the very premise of a comprehensive approach. Poppy, who was abused by her grandfather from the age of four, recalled the moment the police revealed the charges: “I had no idea what it was at the time, but I knew it was really bad. VAWG is Violence Against Women and Girls. If you take child sexual abuse out of it, where are the girls?”

The government has pledged to halve incidents of violence against women and girls by 2035. Andrea Simon, director of the campaign group End Violence Against Women, warned that failing to integrate child sexual abuse into the VAWG framework could leave hundreds of thousands of young victims without the strategic attention necessary to protect them.

Estimates from the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, funded by the Home Office, indicate that around 500,000 children in England and Wales are sexually abused each year. Experts emphasise that having separate strategies risks creating artificial distinctions between victims of domestic abuse and child sexual abuse, potentially undermining prevention and support initiatives.

Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis, told Sky News that any effective strategy must include all forms of gender-based violence. “Some perpetrators of domestic abuse also sexually abuse their children,” she said. “Creating a separate plan for child sexual abuse could be problematic and very unhelpful.”

Miranda Eyre, Poppy’s mother and a trauma counsellor, echoed the concern: “Sexual abuse is violence against a child. It is violence against girls, and you can’t separate it out. It makes me quite angry.”

A Home Office spokesperson emphasised that the government recognises the overlap between child sexual abuse and VAWG. They confirmed that while the strategy will take targeted actions to address child sexual abuse, additional programmes will be developed to address the specific nature of these crimes. “The government wholly recognises that these issues are complex and run deep within the fabric of society,” the spokesperson said. “Concerted action is needed to tackle child sexual abuse, which is why we are launching a national inquiry into grooming gangs and implementing a range of measures to protect young victims.”

As the debate unfolds, campaigners continue to call for a unified and inclusive approach that ensures child sexual exploitation is treated with the same priority as other forms of violence against women and girls, warning that any gap in the strategy could have serious consequences for the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children across the country.