Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of child sexual exploitation.

I responded to a substantive question from Robbie Moore MP on this issue, on 14 December 2021 (904746).

As I highlighted then, getting the right support at the right time is crucial for all victims, particularly children and young people.

We are currently consulting on a Victims’ Bill, to make tangible improvements for all victims. This will include reviewing what more can be done to strengthen victim advocate roles, including those supporting children and young people. We will be engaging directly with young people, and the professionals that work to support them to learn more throughout the consultation period. I will also be holding parliamentary drop-in sessions during the consultation period and would welcome your input.

The cross-Government Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy sets out our commitment to ensuring access to high quality support for all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, including child sexual exploitation, to ensure children and young people are receiving the support they need. In 2021/22, as part of the overall £151 million of funding for victim and witness support services, the Ministry of Justice is providing over £11.2 million specifically for services supporting victims and survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).