“Don’t children deserve better than that?” Sue Berelowitz Deputy Children’s Commissioner for England and Carlene Firmin Senior Policy Officer, ROTA

Children’s Commissioner (CA 2004) has a duty to: promote awareness of the views and interests of children consider or research any matter relating to children encourage people who work with children to gather their views and to take account of them focus on the five Every Child Matters outcomes focus on the most vulnerable children have regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Unique powers to enter any premises where a child or young person is cared for except their private home to speak to any child in private as long as the child agrees

UNCRC Article 3: best interests Article 12: respect for views of the child Article 16: right to privacy Article 19: protection from violence Article 24: health and health services Article 34: protection from sexual abuse & exploitation Article 35: abduction Article 36: protection from all other forms of exploitation

At risk of Sexual Violence in SYV Female Relatives Threat, Reprisal, Antagonise Female Offenders Punishment Dominance Property Girlfriends and Sexual Partners Punishment, Lure Reprisal Exploitation

Distinctions and Clarifications Multiple Perpetrator Rape Gang-associated sexual violence Sexual Violence as SYV Sexual exploitation in a criminal gang context Sexual exploitation outside of a criminal gang context Misuse of ‘gang-rape’

Sexual Violence, VAWG and SYV Serious Youth Violence defined as murder, attempted murder, GBH and weapon use where victim and offender are both under the age of 21 Why is sexual violence not included in this? Violence against Women rarely considers sexual violence where both the offender and the victim are under the age of 18 – this is not the same as ‘child abuse’

“To make life better for children, they should listen to our point of view more. It is after all our life.” (Girl, 12 years)