The 'missed chances' to act on school sex abuse

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing March 30, 2021 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines Opportunities to root out the problem of sexual abuse in schools have been missed since a report called for “urgent” action on the issue five years ago, [MPs have warned](. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Monday added his voice to calls for an inquiry, after a website gathered testimony from more than 9,000 young people, at both independent and state schools, about treatment that amounted to sexual harassment or abuse, and in some cases rape. But former members of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee said that in 2016 they produced a report warning that the government had no “coherent plan” for dealing with “deeply troubling” levels of sexual harassment and violence taking place between children and teenagers at schools in England. The government responded the following year with new guidance for schools on how to deal with incidents of alleged sexual abuse by one student on another. But former committee member Jess Phillips – now safeguarding spokesperson on Sir Keir’s front bench – said that ministers had failed to engage with schools to ensure that the guidance was followed. Boris Johnson has appealed for the public to [show caution when meeting relatives and friends in the coming days](, as his chief medical officer warned that there will be an “uptick” in coronavirus cases due to the relaxation of controls coming into effect today. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister said that the graphs for infection among the younger age groups were “curling up like an old British Rail sandwich”, three weeks from the reopening of schools in England on 8 March. But Mr Johnson stressed that he had seen nothing in the data to suggest that the government should delay its roadmap towards the lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions on 21 June. As thousands across England took advantage of new freedoms to meet in groups of up to six people or two households and take part in outdoor sports, Mr Johnson said it was “inevitable” there would be more infections, hospitalisations and deaths, particularly if the third wave of the virus currently sweeping the continent of Europe reaches the UK. It has become the most famous boat of the modern age; [the ship that launched a thousand memes](. The Ever Given, a stricken, 200,000-tonne mega-ship has – after six anxious days – been re-floated in the Suez Canal but in its wake lies a giant flotilla filled with everything from livestock to oil and flat-pack furniture to erotic toys. The fallout has just begun. Shipping giant Maersk forecasts the impact of the backlog will take months to work through global supply chains. Beyond that, a multi-million-pound legal battle will soon kick off. Experts say it could easily take five years to resolve. All of which raises questions about how sustainable it is for global trade to be so reliant on boats as long as the Empire State Building being steered down a narrow man-made trench hundreds of times a year. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [Derek Chauvin ‘betrayed his badge’, prosecutors argue as George Floyd murder trial begins]( [‘Don’t tell me I’m not’: David Lammy responds to woman who tells him he can’t be African-Caribbean and English]( [Ghislaine Maxwell hit with two additional charges in sex trafficking case]( . Sign up to our free newsletters Subscribe to a wide range of free newsletters for exclusive news and features from our specialist reporters across the world . Stories chosen for you - [Brexit ‘teething problems in danger of becoming permanent’ – live]( - [Brexiteers ask public for ‘treasures’ to put in Museum of Brexit]( - [It’ll take more than a shadow cabinet reshuffle to win Labour voters back]( - [No 10 insists no need to panic over second vaccine doses – your daily politics briefing]( - [One in four small export businesses have stopped selling to the EU, poll finds]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.