Waiting to get to court can be extremely distressing for young victims, yet our research shows court waiting times for child sexual abuse cases have surged by 43% in four years.
Young victims are facing extremely distressing delays in the justice system as waiting times for child sexual abuse (CSA) cases surge.
Data from the Ministry of Justice shows the average number of days between a defendant in CSA cases in England and Wales being charged and the criminal trial starting has risen by 43% in four years, from 276 days in 2017 to 395 days in 2021 - that’s almost four months longer.
For a child who is already suffering with depression, self-harming, suicidal thoughts or PTSD as a consequence of sexual abuse, the drawn-out process of waiting for a trial to start, and then be completed, can be extremely distressing and add to the significant mental health impact of the original abuse.
There is also not enough access to therapeutic support to help young people cope and recover from sexual abuse. Often, only generic mental health services are offered rather than more effective specialist post-sexual abuse services. Even though there’s a high prevalence of PTSD in young abuse victims, only one in five young people who experienced PTSD say they have seen a mental health professional1.