Survey results on juvenile exploitation in England and Wales have shocked everyone

Britain’s Police investigating historical child abuse at two former National Healthcare Service or NHS mental health units in West Sussex say they have spoken to 12 alleged victims – and believe there are more, reports BBC.

One former patient, aged nine at the time, says he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a member of staff at Larchwood and Colwood in Haywards Heath.

Christopher – not his real name – said the first alleged attack happened in the late 1970s after the staff member lured him outside to pick flowers for his mum. He said he has vivid memories of being raped in the woods. "That was the daffodil day – it's always stuck with me," he said.

Sussex Police said its investigation centered on allegations made by former patients at the two NHS facilities during the 1970s,1980s and 1990s – both units had closed by the early 2000s.

Larchwood and Colwood units provided in-patient therapy and education for vulnerable children who were neuro-diverse or living with mental health conditions.

Larchwood cared for younger children, while adolescents stayed at Colwood. They were located on the same site as the former St Francis Hospital and the current Princess Royal Hospital.

Christopher said he was sent to Larchwood by his parents in the late 1970s after he became disruptive at home, stopped going to school and tried to take his own life. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, he described allegedly being repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at the hands of a male member of staff.

"The member of staff said to me 'your mum's coming tonight, do you want to get some daffodils? I know where you can get the biggest best daffodils and you can surprise your mum with them'.

"I said 'yeah it would be lovely to do that'. We went to the woods, picked my daffodils and everything.

In 2023,  a British social welfare organization called NSPCC Learning interviewed over 6,000 young adults, teenagers, children and parents of younger children in the United Kingdom. NSPCC Learning’s report looks at the respondents’ experiences of abuse and neglect. It examines the impact of abuse on children. It also highlights that many children experiencing abuse by their parents or caretakers also experience other forms of abuse from surrounding people. Although these findings remain the most robust UK-wide research-based indication of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect available, they are increasingly dated.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) year ending (YE) March 2024 estimated that 13.6 million people aged 18 years and over (29.0%) had experienced "any abuse" before the age of 18 years. This sounds very much alarming.


Rifat Rafique Badhan is a
freelancer and a columnist.