⚠️ Please read with care. This petition contains references to child sexual abuse.
Imagine being just 14 years old. You've just celebrated your birthday. Your whole life is ahead of you.
Then someone you trust steals your innocence.
Someone you believed would protect you instead abuses that trust in the most unimaginable way. In an instant, your childhood is changed forever.
For 18 months, you carry that pain in silence.
When your family finally discovers the truth, they hold you as you break down. They promise to stand beside you every step of the way. Somehow, despite the fear, shame, and trauma, you find the courage to report the abuse, believing the justice system will protect you.
Instead of justice, you are forced to wait.
Not for weeks.
Not for months.
Four and a half years.
Four and a half years of reliving the trauma. Four and a half years of delays, uncertainty, and a justice system that moves far too slowly. Four and a half years while the offender remains free to live their life as the victim struggles every single day with the lasting impact of the abuse.
Finally, justice comes—but only after years of suffering.
The offender is sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison.
Think about that.
It took longer to bring him to court than the prison sentence he received.
That is not justice.
Victims should never have to spend years waiting for their abuser to face the consequences of their crimes. Every unnecessary delay prolongs trauma, damages mental health, and leaves survivors feeling forgotten by the very system meant to protect them.
For some children, justice never comes. Some are no longer here to tell their story. This fight is for them too. Their voices must not be lost because they are no longer able to speak for themselves.
We are calling on the Government to:
Set strict time limits for the investigation and prosecution of child sexual offence cases.
Provide police, prosecutors, and courts with the resources needed to reduce delays.
Ensure every victim receives consistent emotional, practical, and legal support throughout the justice process.
Hold agencies accountable when avoidable delays occur.
No child should have to wait years for justice while their abuser remains free.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Please sign this petition and help us demand a justice system that puts victims first—not last.
Every signature sends a clear message that survivors deserve to be heard, believed, supported, and given the timely justice they have already waited far too long for.