Everyday Victim Blaming

challenging institutional disbelief around domestic & sexual violence and abuse

The BBC remains confused about the definition of child rape

"South Yorkshire Police criticised over child sex victim protection"

This is the title to the BBC article published on November 11 on the HMIC report commissioned by South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright into police failures in protecting victims of child sexual exploitation.

This article is one of many published by the BBC recently which use the term "sex" instead of child rape or child sexual exploitation. I'm increasingly concerned about the cavalier way in which the BBC uses the word "sex" when referring to crimes committed against children. Sex is not a crime. Child rape is. We cannot protect our children from sexual exploitation and violence if one of the largest media outlets in the UK continues to use headlines which obfuscate the crimes.

The article is available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-24896602

The report is available here: http://www.hmic.gov.uk/media/south-yorkshire-police-response-to-child-sexual-exploitation.pdf

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