Professor Alexis Jay Obe, Chairwoman of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Rochdale Online
Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chairwoman of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse' explains her role and the steps being taken to encourage victims to share their experience with the Truth Project. "In Rochdale, successive generations of children have been sexually abused, and failed by our society. The BBC's moving and accurate drama Three Girls highlighted just one horrifying example from this small town. "As chairwoman of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, it is my job to consider the extent to which institutions have failed in their duty to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation, including right here in Rochdale. "To get a full and accurate picture of what is really going on, I need to hear from victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. The Truth Project helps the Inquiry to do this, and I am pleased to announce that we will be opening the Truth Project in Rochdale this July. "The Truth Project gives victims and survivors who were failed by an institution the opportunity to talk about their experiences, getting as much or as little off their chest as they want and suggesting how things might change in the future. "One of the reasons I wanted to write this article is because some people may not even realise that they’ve been subjected to child sexual abuse, or were let down by an institution. "Child sexual abuse means forcing or enticing someone under the age of 18 to take part in sexual activities. The activities don’t necessarily have to involve physical contact - for example, encouraging children to watch pornograpy or to sext can count as abuse. "There are many ways in which institutions can fail children. In some cases, the abuser could be a person in a position of power, like a teacher or a doctor. Or the abuse might have happened elsewhere, such as within the family, but it was reported to someone in an institution, like a police officer, a teacher or a social worker but no action, or the wrong action, was taken. "Speaking out is really difficult. Victims and survivors often tell me they are wrestling with feelings of stigma, shame, self-blame and guilt. Some have never disclosed what happened before, not even to their closest friends or family members. "However, there are many reasons why people want to take that first step, and come forward to the Truth Project. For some, their perpetrator may have died, and they will now never get justice. Others just want a public record of what happened to them in the past but do not want the stress of going to the police and facing a criminal trial. "So we designed the Truth Project with victims and survivors. From the minute you walk in, you will be in control. You can decide how much detail you want to go into and how long you want the session to last. You will not be cross-examined, questioned, or challenged. "Some of the experiences I've heard have been heartbreaking but it is essential we listen and learn if we are to stop child sexual abuse in future." If you would like to share your experience with the Truth Project, more information is available at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's website: www.iicsa.org.uk/truthproject Or you can call the Information line on 0800 917 1000 (weekdays 8am-8pm and Saturdays 10am-12pm).
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