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Thousands of children are expected to be protected from abusive parents under new government reforms that will see rapists and serious child sex offenders automatically stripped of their parental rights.
The Ministry of Justice said the amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill, tabled in Parliament on Monday, will ensure that anyone convicted of rape resulting in the birth of a child, or of serious sexual offences against any child, will have their parental responsibility automatically restricted at the point of sentencing.
This means convicted offenders will no longer be able to make decisions about their child’s upbringing, such as education, medical care, or travel, without the need for victims to make an application through the family courts.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the move “marks a crucial step forward in restoring faith in our justice system,” adding: “Automatically restricting parental responsibility in cases of rape where it has led to the birth of a child and serious child sexual offences sends a clear message: the rights and safety of children come first.”
The reforms follow long-term campaigning by MPs Natalie Fleet, Jess Asato and Baroness Harman, who have called for automatic protection for mothers and children forced to maintain legal ties with their abusers.
The government said the automatic restrictions would apply immediately after sentencing, without the need for separate family court proceedings, unless the Crown Court considers that doing so would not be in the interests of justice.
[Ed: Extraordinary that it should take campaigning to secure such an obvious protection. We need this here in Australia too.]