Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has spoken to a parliamentary grouping about the role that faith groups can and should play in preventing abuse.
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Safeguarding in Faith Communities (APPG) acts as a forum for parliamentarians, faith leaders, survivors of abuse and relevant experts. Its aim is to discuss and to promote the most effective methods of protecting the vulnerable from abuse, particularly in faith-based and religious settings.
The issue of sexual abuse in faith based settings has grown in prominence in the last two decades, with numerous abuse scandals tainting the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Significant concerns have also been raised about predominantly Muslim rape gangs.
Phillips, who earlier this year faced criticism for refusing to conduct a national inquiry into the rape gangs - something the government has now U-turned on - told the APPG that faith communities needed to demonstrate transparency, accountability and cultural change in order to prevent abuse.
“Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it can never be a shield for abuse or inaction," she said.
"I’ve been clear that anyone undertaking relevant activity with children in England will be subject to the new duty to report child sexual abuse. This includes religious instructors, youth workers and volunteers.
“We are committed to working with faith communities to raise standards, close loopholes, and ensure that every child – regardless of their faith or background – is safe, heard, and protected.”
Her comments were noted by Justin Humphreys, the joint CEO of Thirtyone:eight, a leading Christian safeguarding charity.
Humphreys, an adviser to the APPG, said that it "welcomed the opportunity to put questions to the Minister on the effectiveness of the proposed Mandatory Reporting duty and asked how the government intend to engage faith communities further".
"Jess reassured the group that the government is open to continued collaboration and is committed to working directly with the APPG. We look forward to working with her in the future," he said.
