I am a 50 year old married man and grandfather to 4 lovely children. I watch and observe when i play with them, and sometimes with a tinge of jealousy. Childhood is one of the most precious things we have. To have it taken from you whilst still developing is a very traumatic experience, and lasts a lifetime. So here comes my point. When you have plucked up the courage to report the person who sexually abused you when you where 7 years old, and then successfully prosecuted him in court, to then come up against the “1979 Rule” leaves you dumbfounded, angry and irate.

Before 1st October 1979 if you where sexually abused in your own home by a member of your family who lived with you, you cannot claim compensation! If it were a neighbor or stranger, you can. When a majority of the cases of childhood sexual abuse cases involve family members it makes this law ludicrous. What about the many thousands of victims abused before that date? Why should they be persecuted and ignored? Is it to save money? The law was changed in 1979 to allow claims for those victims who fell foul of the pedophiles, but then ignored anything previous. This is a travesty and only adds more insult to the trauma suffered for victims from before that date. Believe me, the trauma is only compounded when you still have to live with that person in the household, and still have to share a bedroom with him. This law needs to be changed and sooner the better. To ignore abuse from before that date is wrong, it is happening now and was before. Child sex abuse is one of the most hideous crimes imaginable, and the damage is lifelong. No amount of compensation can replace your childhood. It would please me no end to help others in the same predicament and help change this ridiculous law and get it updated to include ALL victims of this crime.