Rotherham rape survivor wins fight for children born after sexual violence to be recognised as victims

Sammy Woodhouse, who has bravely waived her right to anonymity, blew the lid off the shocking Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal which led to the publication of a damning report in 2014 revealing how around 1,400 children in Rotherham had been abused by grooming gangs and ignored.

The report laid bare how men of predominantly Pakistani heritage abused vulnerable girls between 1997 and 2013.

They were subjected to “appalling” abuse, the report explained, where they “were raped by multiple perpetrators, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, abducted, beaten, and intimidated”.

There were examples of children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with guns, made to witness brutally violent rapes and threatened they would be next if they told anyone.

Girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers of male perpetrators.

Professor Alexis Jay, who produced the report, said there were blatant failures in how CSE was handled, with the seriousness of the issue played down by Rotherham Council and the police not prioritising it, “regarding many child victims with contempt and failing to act on their abuse as a crime”.

Sammy was groomed, raped, threatened and attacked for years and her firstborn child was born when she was just 15.

She went public with the years of abuse she had suffered and lack of action taken against those involved in a bid to put an end to grooming and for some accountability to be taken by those who let down the town’s abused children.

Sammy’s rapist, Arshid Hussain, was jailed for 35 years in 2016.

She has been campaigning for the government to give children born from rape legal “victim” status to give them a voice so that they can receive specialist help and potentially prosecute their fathers.

She learned this week that the government has listened and children born as a result of rape will be “officially recognised as victims of crime and receive better support”.

It is estimated that thousands of children are conceived from rape each year.

The Victims Bill is to be amended to clarify that these children are entitled to support from criminal justice agencies such as the police and courts.

Sammy said: “I’m so pleased to hear today’s news that children born from sexual violence will be seen as victims within our law. This is a campaign myself and others have fought for years.

“I know first-hand how difficult it can be for many of those children not only from my own personal experiences but from the mothers and children, now adults, that I have met and spoken to. I have also called on the government to embed extra support, training, therapy and funding to all agencies across the UK.

“I would also like for the government to carry out thorough research to ensure all our needs can be understood and met.”

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab MP said: “No child born in these horrific circumstances should be left to suffer alone, which is why we must ensure they can access vital support whenever they may need it.

“Our Victims Bill will amplify their voices and boost support for all victims at every stage of the justice system.”