The United Kingdom Child Sex Abuse People's Tribunal

The United Kingdom Child [...] Abuse People’s Tribunal (UKCSAPT) is an initiative that is led by survivors of child [...] abuse and their supporters, who seek to eradicate the problem of institutional Child [...] abuse in the United Kingdom. The initial information meeting was held in London in August 2014, when John Cooper (lawyer) QC explained the concept of People's Tribunals, given his experience of the Iran Tribunal.

In November 2014, it was announced that Michael Mansfield QC has agreed to Chair and be a judge on the Panel (which will take submissions from survivors and witnesses). John Cooper (lawyer) QC has agreed to be the Chief Prosecutor, whilst Professor Payam Akhavan has also agreed to take a role on the Panel.

Statistics on child [...] abuse show that this particular human rights issue has become a paramount concern in the United Kingdom. The UKCSAPT has been formed to allow survivors, victims, and witnesses of child [...] abuse a chance to participate in a meaningful manner to address this national issue. Currently, the UKCSAPT focuses on institutional child [...] abuse which has occurred in the UK.

The UKCSAPT is entirely survivor-initiated, being independent from and receiving no funds from government. It is also unique in that it addresses an ongoing issue within the UK, as opposed to other People’s Tribunals which have addressed historical human rights abuses. Some examples of these People’s Tribunals include the Russell Tribunal on Vietnam and the Iran Tribunal.

According to its Terms of Reference, the UKCSAPT seeks to raise discourse on the issue of institutional child [...] abuse, create a record of where institutional child [...] abuse has taken place, and in turn, hopes that the final outcome will allow the UKCSAPT to write a final report regarding the evidence presented and produce recommendations on how the United Kingdom can approach this issue. The UKCSAPT will have an independent judicial panel utilise the submissions by survivors and witnesses to produce its final report. The UKCSAPT states that its findings will complement the current initiative by the United Kingdom’s Independent Panel Inquiry into Child [...] Abuse.

The UKCSAPT campaign strives to increase awareness of the existence of the People’s Tribunal and its nature and function on the issue of institutional child [...] abuse. The UKCSAPT has posted on its “Terms of Reference” on its website the goals and visions the UKCSAPT hopes to achieve in 2015.