Child Sexual Abuse Reported by Adult Survivors Legal Responses in England and Wales, Ireland and Australia

"This outstanding analysis of legal responses to non-recent child sexual abuse in Ireland, Australia and England and Wales succeeds brilliantly in contextualising both the problem and the solutions that have so far been adopted. A truly original contribution to criminal justice scholarship." -Tom O'Malley, S.C., Law School, NUI Galway

"This book offers an up-to-date, critical comparative examination of the core problems associated with legal responses to non-recent child sexual abuse (NRCSA) in England and Wales, Ireland and Australia and in particular, those associated with the passage of time. These issues are examined across a range of legal contexts including inquiries, reparations and criminal trials. Part of the focus, and one of the notable strengths of the book, is the grounding in the respective historical contexts and how each country came to acknowledge the prevalence and significance of NRCSA. Wide-ranging in scope, the book greatly benefits from the cross-disciplinary expertise of the authors across law, political science and history. The accessibility and importance of this book will make it a key text for scholars, students, practitioners and activists working in the area of historical abuses and indeed legal responses to sexual violence more broadly." -Anne-Marie McAlinden, Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, UK

"This book is situated against this broader backdrop and focuses on "nonrecent child sexual abuse" (NRCSA) and legal responses within England and Wales, Ireland and Australia. This book covers a lot of social, legal and political ground across three jurisdictions representing an in-depth, scholarly, comparative examination of a range of legal responses to historical abuses. The authors are to be commended for making considerable inroads into unravelling much of this complexity and for providing a rich and comprehensive analysis of the key challenges within contemporary legal discourses on NRCSA for both specialist and wider audiences. This monograph makes a timely, welcome and substantial contribution to the literature. It is an important text and is likely to remain a key reference point on contextual and legal issues for decades to come." - Feminist Legal Studies, Anne-Marie McAlinden

"These chapters are well-written precis of the respective socio-legal and sociopolitical contexts, providing the reader with a broad yet informed understanding of the lay of the land. Commentary from the authors is periodically provided throughout these chapters, helpful in guiding the reader to appreciate the significance of the subject matter. This is complemented by the skilfully evaluative discussion at the end of each of the chapters, drawing attention to the limitations of the developments. These chapters are balanced in each opening with concise yet informative overviews of the core concepts and context being discussed before then proceeding to provide a case study of the subject matter in each of the aforementioned jurisdictions. Commendably, these chapters also include recent legal and governmental developments (as late as 2021) and descriptions of their relevance to their specific legal context, as well as responses to child sexual abuse and survivors more broadly. In summary, this book provides a sound, thoughtful and well-researched precis of responses of the law to non-recent child sexual abuse across several jurisdictions. It would be a useful companion to academics and practitioners in this field and an invaluable text for those teaching, studying or researching in this subject area. "- International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, Dr. Michael A. Guerzoni, University of Tasmania

"This book is a timely addition to a complex and often contested area. It rightly opens by stating that 'adults seeking justice for the sexual abuse they suffered as children is one of the most important social, political and legal phenomena of the twenty-first century'. The book details not just the current legal and social landscape in terms of how society responds to so-called non-recent abuse allegations, but it also carefully charts the origins of the various systems in place in Ireland, England and Wales, and Australia. The book takes a particular focus on the legal responses in each jurisdiction but pays close attention to the social unrest, high profile cases and historic injustices in each jurisdiction over approximately the last two centuries. This book will be an important addition to practice, policy and research in this ever-evolving space." - Joseph Mooney, University College Dublin, Ireland, Child Abuse Review