Sarah Champion leads cross-party group of MPs in call for Government to change law to prevent faith leaders from having sex with 16- and 17-year olds under their supervision

Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Safeguarding in Faith Settings, will on Tuesday 28 January 2020 launch a report calling for Government to broaden the definition of ‘positions of trust’ to include all adults working with children following its recent inquiry into the effectiveness of the current legislation in safeguarding young people within faith settings.

At present only people such as teachers and social workers are legally in a ‘position of trust’ under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and as a result it is against the law for them to have sex with 16 or 17-year-olds that they supervise.

However, adults working in other settings, such as faith organisations or sports clubs, do not commit a crime if they have sex with children aged 16 or 17 under their supervision, even if the adult has significant power and influence over the child. 

The report will contain detailed contributions from survivors, churches and safeguarding organisations.