ACT on IICSA demands urgent government action on child sexual abuse
PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE RELEASE, London UK, 20th October, 2025.
20th October 2025 marks the three-year anniversary of the publication of the final report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The report, after 7 years of work, made 20 key recommendations to protect and support children who have suffered sexual abuse, yet three years later, not one of them is fully in place.
As a result, ACT on IICSA has today announced the launch of its campaign, The Elephant in the Room, in response to the growing government inaction and unacceptably slow progress when responding to IICSA.
The campaign highlights the stark reality that, despite IICSA providing a clear blueprint for change, the UK continues to ignore the alarming truth that an estimated 500,000 children are sexually abused every year, with fewer than one in five ever disclosing their abuse, even when directly asked.
“IICSA laid out exactly what must change to protect children from sexual abuse. Yet three years later, those recommendations remain largely unimplemented. This failure to act leaves our children at risk damaging their futures and is in many cases, taking their lives”, said John O’Brien of ACT on IICSA.
ACT on IICSA was established to work collaboratively with government to ensure the implementation of IICSA’s recommendations, as was assumed by Baroness Louise Casey in her report on grooming gangs. The group brings together senior figures from the Inquiry and sector leaders who remain committed to seeing lasting systemic change.
“We are still ignoring the elephant in the room,” said Lucy Duckworth of ACT on IICSA. “Half a million children are being sexually abused every year, and although we have the plans for immediate action, we still refuse to run with them. There is no excuse for this delay. If IICSA’s recommendations had been implemented, many of the cases in the headlines today could have been prevented or certainly intercepted earlier. This inaction of child sexual abuse will be a stain on our history and it is now up to all of us to ensure that it must end now.”
ACT ON IICSA urges govt to look at the Elephant in the room and we demand urgent, transparent progress on delivering IICSA’s recommendations.
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Notes to Editors:
- ACT on IICSA is a coalition of senior figures from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and leaders from the sexual violence and safeguarding sectors.
- The group works to ensure the full implementation of IICSA’s 20 accepted recommendations.
- For further information, please contact: Lucy Duckworth | Email: actoniicsa@thesurvivorstrust.org | Phone: 07427605202| Website: https://thesurvivorstrust.org/act-on-iicsa/
