Dear Editor,

The Government is dragging its heels on lifting the time limit imposed on survivors of child sexual abuse who wish to pursue legal claims for compensation against their abusers.

This month marks eight years since the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) began. It examined the time limit issue in detail and made a clear recommendation that it should be scrapped in England and Wales, like it is now in Scotland.

But still the Government wants to consult further, which is wholly unnecessary and creates further anguish for survivors.

The law in England and Wales expects survivors to bring cases within three years of the survivor turning 18 if they are abused as a child. Scotland has already abolished the time limit – the same should happen here.

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse have been through unimaginable horrors and understandably disclosing the abuse they have suffered can take many years. It is obvious that a time limit is unfair and punishes survivors still further for the abuse they have suffered.

The Government must accept the inquiry findings and act without delay to help some of the most vulnerable people in society move forward with their lives.

Kim Harrison

Vice president

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)