Children are at risk from online predators as UK government fails to implement sexual grooming laws
The UK government has failed to implement promised laws that would help to protect vulnerable children from online predators in England and Wales. Back in 2014, the then-Prime Minister David Cameron said he would introduce a new criminal offense of sexual communication with a child, effectively ensnaring paedolphiles.
The law would help to reduce the problem of "grooming", the practice of luring in a child and gaining their trust with a view to later abusing that trust. Cameron's announcement more than 18 months ago was welcomed as it eliminated a legal loophole, but now children's charities are unhappy that laws that could prevent sex abuse have not been written onto the statute.
Existing legislation can be used to prosecute paedophiles if it can be proved that explicit images of children were received. But in Scotland and Northern Ireland, laws have been updated so predators who try to lure children into providing images or to engage in talk of a sexual nature can be prosecuted regardless of the outcome of their activities. Existing laws in England and Wales can only be applied if paedophiles are successful in encouraging their victims into engaging, and this is precisely why campaigners are so keen for the promised changes to materialize.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), says: "The Government cannot afford to dawdle over something as essential as keeping young people safe from those who want to prey on them. The police and public have spoken, and the Government said that they had listened. Now it is high time that they stopped dragging their feet and brought this law into effect".
Explaining the 19-month delay in implementing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, justice minister Oliver Heald says: "We are continuing to consider its implementation carefully whilst also considering our other justice priorities".
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