Children left at risk as agencies are too afraid to talk about sexual abuse in families, report warns

‘We can no longer stay silent on this issue,’ say inspectorates

Around two-thirds of child sexual abuse takes place within the family environment (Getty)

Efforts to protect vulnerable children are being hampered because agencies are too afraid to talk about sexual abuse within families, according to a damning report.

Children who are sexually abused by family members are going “unseen and unheard” by many agencies – including police officers and social workers, a group of leading inspectorates have warned.

Strategies to prevent sexual abuse of children at home are almost non-existent due to a reluctance to discuss the topic, which has left children too often repeatedly victimised and perpetrators unidentified.