Allegations refer to Colchester Royal Grammar School

This year the children had only been back a fortnight, after most of a year absent due to Covid-19, when the story of “rape culture” broke. I found it difficult to believe that such a culture could develop in two weeks. However a BBC Radio 4 programme exposed the reality that affects far too many children.

Most child victims have been in care and apart from the admirable exception of the work of the Nottingham Police and local agencies, victims have been very badly let down for over decades.

The other problem is how it is framed. The term “sexual abuse” is so all-encompassing that important distinctions are lumped together.

Most people, including children know what is appropriate and what is not; there has been a lumping together of clumsy unwanted attention, which can be addressed with a serious conversation, and predatory abuse that needs severe punishment and monitoring.

In this day and age I hope we can be more civilised as such behaviour is not normal and we all know this apart from the sex predators.

Paul Gurnett

Constable Close

West Mersea

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