A new right for victims of abuse?

Child abuse images, Regulation 1 Minute

The UK’s Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety, of which I am Secretary, today publishes a copy of its letter to Michael Gove MP, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. We are asking the Government to bring forward legislation to create a new right for children who have been sexually abused to obtain compensation from anyone subsequently found to be in possession of images of that abuse.

This call is based on a principle which has already been established in the USA, recently upheld in the US Supreme Court decision in Paroline.

Apart from delivering justice to victims it is hoped such a law will, inter alia,  also act as a deterrent to potential future offenders. We definitely need to find better ways of discouraging this type of offending as traditional methods are falling short of the mark.

Good coverage in today’s Observer

Published by John Carr

John Carr is one of the world's leading authorities on children's and young people's use of digital technologies. He is Senior Technical Adviser to Bangkok-based global NGO ECPAT International and is Secretary of the UK's Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety. John is now or has formerly been an Adviser to the Council of Europe, the UN (ITU), UNODC, the EU and UNICEF. John has advised many of the world's largest technology companies on online child safety. John's skill as a writer has also been widely recognised. http://johncarrcv.blogspot.com

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