Mandatory reporting is a legal requirement to report knowledge or suspicions of a crime to a designated authority. These seminars examined obligations to report child sexual abuse, and the pros, cons and practical considerations of mandatory reporting.
This seminar looked at existing obligations to report child sexual abuse in England and Wales, and at the experiences of other countries where mandatory reporting legislation exists.
The morning session explored how existing obligations to report differs across professions and institutions, and whether these are adequate to protect children from sexual abuse. The afternoon session considered how mandatory reporting laws operate in a number of countries outside England and Wales, and any impact these laws may have had on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.
Further information about the seminar, including the agenda and transcript, is available below.
This seminar was held on 30 April 2019 and considered the arguments for and against the introduction of mandatory reporting legislation in England and Wales, and the practical considerations involved in introducing such a law.
The Inquiry invited Professor Ben Mathews to deliver two presentations during the seminar on the introduction of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse in countries other than England and Wales, and the impact that the introduction of mandatory reporting has had. Both of these presentations are available to read on the Inquiry's website.
Since the Inquiry's seminar on mandatory reporting in April 2019, Professor Mathews has produced this paper.