‘Unjust’ grooming ‘child prostitution’ convictions to be pardoned
Victims of child abuse and grooming will have child prostitution convictions thrown out after years of “horrible injustice”.
New measures announced by the government this week envisage that victims who are convicted or warned for loitering as children or encouraging prostitution crimes will automatically be ignored and pardoned.
Announcing the plan, the Home Office acknowledged that those affected were “blamed for actions that took place under duress, fear and coercion”, “rather than being supported as victims”.
“In many cases like this, the real criminals (the adults who abused them) escaped prosecution, while the victims were left with permanent criminal records,” the Home Office said.
He added that the measures, which are expected to help hundreds of people, would remove “the persistent psychological burden, social stigma and barriers to employment and other freedoms caused by these historical beliefs”.
The scheme will apply to people convicted of such crimes when they were under 18, before the concept of child prostitution was removed from legislation in 2015.
Minister for Violence and Protection against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said: “These changes send a clear message: we will not let the failures of the past define the futures of those who have been let down by the system in so many ways.
“Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse deserve nothing but compassion and support, not a criminal record. Today, we’re taking decisive action to fix it.”
The new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill come in response to Baroness Casey’s recommendation in her recent review into child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs.
The change to automatic disregard for historical convictions means victims and survivors will no longer need to request this.
Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said they welcomed the government’s move to “restore justice”.
“Our own research from more than 46,000 interactions with victims tells us that both recognition of abuse and belief in it are integral to how survivors define a positive justice outcome,” she said.
“The decision to disregard and pardon these convictions is an important step toward building a justice system that can deliver better, more victim-centered outcomes.”
The Center for Women’s Justice (CWJ) said the move was an “important step” but said the government should go further by fully decriminalizing loitering or solicitation and extend the scheme to cover convictions and cautions received by people aged 18 and over.
The charity said: “Historically, many women with a belief in solicitation and promiscuity first entered street prostitution as children when they were forced to sell sex by pimps and other abusive adults.
“Abuse and exploitation did not end when they turned 18, but the women we support and represent in cases continue to suffer the consequences of having criminal records resulting from serious crimes committed against them by adult men who are rarely punished.”
CWJ chief executive, Harriet Wistrich, said: “This is an important first step towards correcting the scandalous treatment meted out by the criminal justice system to children who are victims of adult rapists, but when these children turn 18 they suddenly do not have the freedom to choose.
“We call on the government to extend the disregard and amnesty scheme to anyone who currently holds historic beliefs about making demands and straying.”
The charity said MP Tonia Antoniazzi had previously tabled amendments to do this in the same bill, and the same amendments will now be introduced to the House of Lords by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC.
