Child and teenage victims of sexual abuse across the UK are being left without equal access to proper support services, according to a major new international study.
Researchers behind the *Out of the Shadows* global index warned that Britain’s support system for survivors falls below “bare minimum” standards despite the UK ranking among the top-performing countries overall for tackling child sexual abuse.
The report ranked 60 countries based on their efforts to protect children from sexual violence across areas including prevention, justice, healing and accountability.
While the UK placed second overall with a score of 78 out of 100 — behind only Australia — it dropped sharply when assessed specifically on access to support and recovery services for victims.
The UK ranked 23rd globally for providing “timely, free, and multi-disciplinary” support, placing behind countries including Australia, Brazil and Kazakhstan.
Elly Vaughan, who led the research at Economist Impact, said heavy reliance on charities across Britain has created major inequalities in support services.
She warned that some survivors are able to access specialist “barnahus” centres — where police, healthcare professionals and support services work together under one roof — while others are forced to repeatedly recount traumatic experiences to multiple agencies.
Vaughan said the process can “re-traumatise” victims and discourage them from seeking justice or recovery support.
She added that evidence shows the barnahus model is “not just convenient” but also improves outcomes for survivors and can increase prosecution rates.
Researchers also called for the government to create a national survivors council to help shape future policy and improve support systems.
Dr Daniela Ligiero said survivors with lived experience play an “important role” in designing effective policies.
“Lived experience can help improve the implementation of programmes by highlighting the realities on the ground of what victims and survivors are experiencing,” she said.
Ligiero warned that many countries are still failing to provide even basic levels of protection for children.
“The majority of countries fall under a 70 out of 100. That to me says there is a lot of progress that still needs to be made. They are the bare minimum,” she said.
“If we can’t even have the bare minimum in place it is going to be really hard for us to protect children and adolescents the way we believe they need to be protected.”
Matthew McVarish described the UK’s performance as “alarming”.
“It highlights how much work still urgently needs to be done before all children are truly safe,” he said.
“Many victims and survivors still lack access to any kind of support and two key funding streams for survivor support services have closed since the Index data was gathered.”
McVarish also criticised the government for failing to fully implement recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
“Unless urgent action is taken, the UK’s score of 65 out of 100 for its efforts to support healing will fall even further next year,” he warned.
“This is no time for complacency. The Index shows how far we still have to go – and provides a clear roadmap for what governments must do to end sexual violence.”
A government spokesperson defended current policies, saying ministers remain “committed to continuing our world-leading action to tackle child sexual abuse”.
The spokesperson added that the government is implementing the inquiry’s recommendations in full, including plans for a new Child Protection Authority, a victims and survivors panel, and mandatory reporting duties for child sexual abuse cases.