Miscellaneous
In this podcast, Andrew Lord an Associate solicitor at Leigh Day specialising in abuse claims, explores the story of a six year old girl known publicly as “Bella” to protect her identity. Bella's parents* recall the devastation when she disclosed being sexually assaulted by other children at school on a number of occasions. They recall experiences of the reporting process; Bella's diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder; and trying to move on.Andrew also speaks with Rachel Krys, former director of EVAW, who talks about the implementation of the Department for Education’s guidance, “Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges”, and the need for clearer guidance for schools on how to handle allegations of abuse amongst children. We acknowledge that the idea that sometimes very young children are capable of abusive acts will make many feel uncomfortable, but this is an issue that we cannot afford to be squeamish about. The bravery required of a child to make a disclosure cannot be underestimated, whether the perpetrator is an adult or another child, and I hope that we, collectively as a society, are able to learn to acknowledge, effectively tackle and ultimately prevent any abuse amongst children. *Bella's parents have had voice distortion applied to protect her identity.