Warning: this page deals with references to child sexual abuse.
94 victims and survivors gave evidence in public hearings. For them, and for all who have experienced sexual abuse, this must be a defining moment for lasting change.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has published its final report and recommendations on how multiple organisations have failed and are continuing to fail to protect children in their care from sexual abuse.
Since 2015, IICSA has held 15 investigations with over 6,000 experiences being shared with the Truth Project and 87 recommendations for change made.
1 in 20 children in the UK has been sexually abused.1 One in three children sexually abused by an adult did not tell anyone at the time.2
IICSA was set up after investigations in 2012 and 2013 into the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal revealed widespread abuse and inadequate safeguarding by institutions and organisations responsible for child welfare.
The role of IICSA was to investigate what went wrong and why, and use its findings to make clear recommendations and prevent failures from happening in future.
In that time information was sought from the NSPCC for nine investigations. These included investigations into residential schools, the internet, religious organisations and child sexual exploitation.
We provided witness statements, helplines data, records searches, briefing papers and results from an FOI request. Our staff gave evidence at public hearings, culminating in Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC CEO, giving evidence in December 2020.
