“One day this could happen to me” – Children, nudification tools and sexually explicit deepfakes
The growth of the online world is a technological revolution, the likes of which hasn’t been witnessed in centuries. The internet has enhanced our lives immeasurably, by opening up education, communication and research in ways those of us who are now well into our adulthoods might never have imagined. For children growing up in 2025, […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on action plan to tackle grooming gangs and sexual abuse
Responding to a Home Office action plan published on 8 April taking forward measures to tackle child sexual abuse and grooming by gangs, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Behind every shocking headline about grooming or exploitation is a child who has been failed and a system that has sidelined their experience and their […]
Press Notice: Children’s Commissioner launches biggest ever survey of schools and colleges in England
The Children’s Commissioner has launched the biggest ever survey of schools and colleges in England, to capture up-to-date information about children’s experiences of school and to drive improvements in how they receive support. The School Survey marks the first time the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has used her statutory powers to collect data […]
Press Notice: Child strip searched every 14 hours by police in England and Wales
A child was strip searched more than once a day by police in England and Wales between January 2018 and June 2023, with the youngest child being just eight, data from the Children’s Commissioner has revealed. More than 3,000 strip searches were conducted on children over a five-and-a-half-year period, equivalent to one search every 14 […]
Strip searching of children in England and Wales: First complete dataset for 2018–2023, including new data July 2022-June 2023
In light of the shocking case of Child Q, a 15-year-old Black girl who was strip searched while at school in Hackney nearly four years ago, I wanted to use my statutory powers as Children’s Commissioner to investigate the practice of strip searching children by the police. Child Q’s case was so extreme that I […]
Thousands of child abuse victims forced to navigate criminal justice system without support
Thousands of child victims of domestic or sexual abuse are being forced to navigate complicated and often traumatic criminal justice processes alone, without being offered specialist support. New figures from the Children’s Commissioner for England show that the vast majority (92%)[1] of cases involving child victims of sexual violence or domestic abuse are receiving no […]
Child victims’ access to advocacy
In a world designed by – and mainly for – adults, children’s voices are very often not heard. It is for this reason that the role of the Children’s Commissioner was established in 2004 – to ensure children’s needs and best interests are advocated for at a national level. The Children Act 2004 gives the […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s view on artificial intelligence (AI)
In recent years there has been a huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both in terms of the number of products available on the market and their use by consumers. It is clear there are advantages to the use of AI, but there is still so much that is not yet […]
Unaccompanied children in need of care
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a duty to promote and protect the rights of all children. But I have a particular duty, and feel a profound responsibility, towards those who are not living with their own families. This includes the children who have arrived here unaccompanied, fleeing war and persecution in their home countries. The […]
Protecting children from serious violence
‘I think in certain areas we ain’t provided with lots to do and that makes kids fend for their own type of fun and most of us just end up hanging out on the street. This causes knife crime and stuff like that’ – Girl, aged 14 (The Big Ask). Recent months have been heavy […]
The Children’s Commissioner will give evidence on the draft Victims Bill to the Justice Select Committee
Next week I will be appearing before the Justice Select Committee, delivering evidence as part of the Committee’s pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Victims Bill. Below I set out my thoughts on the Bill from the perspective of children. Overall, the Bill needs to fully reflect child victims’ voices and recognise that children’s needs are […]
Hidden Victims
When a child experiences violent, sexual or domestic abuse, whether in their home, school or community, it is vital that they are listened to and that they receive meaningful, specialist support. That is why I welcome the ambitions of the draft Victims’ Bill which aims to amplify victims’ voices in the criminal justice system and […]
Archived Content
The same mistakes that led to child sexual exploitation are being repeated with gangs
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published an in-depth study looking at children in England who are members of gangs. The report is published as the Commissioner hosts a summit today (Thursday) bringing together Police and Crime Commissioners, senior police officers and chairs of local safeguarding boards, to hold these agencies to account […]
Children’s Commissioner’s statement on National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day
The exploitation of children for sex is a horrific crime which must be stopped and this is why I am a strong supporter of the National Awareness Day.
Statement
Children’s Commissioner responds to report on children with learning disabilities at higher risk of sexual exploitation
This research highlights how important it is to ensure that the needs of learning disabled children and young people are taken into account in work to tackle child sexual exploitation.
Characteristics of children entering care for the first time as teenagers
Last year, research from my office showed that even before the pandemic, there were 120,000 highly vulnerable children in England who were falling through the gaps in education and social care. This group of children – equivalent to 1 in 25 13-17 year olds – all had significant additional needs and vulnerabilities but were not […]
Plans by tech giants for more encrypted messaging risks greater child exploitation and abuse
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a report, “Access Denied: How end to end encryption threatens children’s safety online”, looking at children’s use of private messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The study suggests that millions of children in England are using messaging platforms that they are not old enough to be […]
Thousands of children in care being ‘failed by the state’ because of a broken residential care home market
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, has published a set of reports showing how the children’s residential social care system is broken and is failing many of the most vulnerable children, in particular those who are most at risk of falling through gaps in the system and becoming victims of criminal or sexual exploitation. Today’s reports […]
Pass the parcel: children posted around the care system
“I feel like a parcel getting moved around all the time, getting opened up and sent back and moved on to somewhere else.” Teenage girl, in care over 100 miles from home There are over 30,000 looked after children living ‘out of area’ in England. This is 41% of all children in care and has […]
Explosion in number of older children going into care over last five years is hitting stability of the system
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has published the Children’s Commissioner’s 2019 Stability Index, an annual measure of the stability of the lives of children in care in England. The Index was launched in 2017 and shines a light on the number of times children in care move home placement, school or social worker. […]
Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield responds to Home Affairs Select Committee report on serious violence
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Serious Violence, said: “This hard-hitting report exposes the dangers facing the many thousands of vulnerable children who are at risk of grooming by ruthless criminal gangs. Many of the mistakes that led to failings in child sexual exploitation are now […]
A response to our letter to DExEU on the consequences for children’s safety of a No Deal Brexit
The following is a response to our letter to the Department for Exiting the European Union, written with the other UK Children’s Commissioners, on the consequences for children’s safety of a No Deal Brexit. It highlights how a No Deal scenario would disrupt some of the mechanisms in place to protect children. *** Dear Anne, […]
