Rafael Viola, a 67-year-old survivor of child sexual abuse, has said he does not expect to see the Government implement all the recommendations of the nationwide inquiry into child sexual abuse in his lifetime. He has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to enact every recommendation in full, including a redress scheme for survivors.
Mr Viola, born in Glasgow and moved to England in 1969, said he suffered “unspeakable” abuse at Catholic schools in the West Midlands, including Croome Court and St. Gilbert's in Worcestershire. He provided a witness statement to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Professor Alexis Jay, which was published in 2022.
Inquiry recommendations shelved
Mr Viola said: “That inquiry cost £200million. Nothing came out of the inquiry; nothing at all. Twenty recommendations were put forward to the Government. This Government has shelved these recommendations. These recommendations are just rotten, left on the shelves.”
He added that “this Government isn’t fit for purpose” and told Mr Burnham: “Survivors’ lives, they matter. They do matter, Andy Burnham. Show your colours... Andy Burnham, this is your chance now to show the British public what kind of man you are... Don't betray us no more, Andy.”
No help for victims
Mr Viola said there is “no help” for victims like him, and he suffers “traumatisation all the time.” He added: “Every time we speak out, we get silenced.”
In June 2025, Sir Keir Starmer announced a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs in UK towns and cities, following an audit by Baroness Louise Casey. Initially, the former prime minister said the Jay inquiry was sufficient, but he reversed his position after critics argued it did not go far enough.
New inquiry criticised
Mr Viola is sceptical about the new inquiry. He said: “They’ve got to finish off this old inquiry. I was a core participant in that inquiry. We got silenced. Nothing is done about this old inquiry, and you’re going to have a new inquiry that’s going to cost £60million. £60million is going to turn into £100million and you’re going to have the same problem. These inquiries are not fit for purpose.”
Jay Inquiry recommendations: progress and gaps
The following recommendations have been enacted or committed to:
- Mandatory reporting duty: The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces a statutory duty for individuals in key roles with responsibility for children to report sexual abuse.
- Criminal offence to cover up abuse: The Act also creates a new offence of attempting to prevent someone reporting child sexual abuse.
- Scrapping of three-year time limit for civil claims: The government has abolished time limits for child sexual abuse claims made by victims.
- Axing of DBS "supervision" exemption: The Act removes the exemption, ensuring everyone in relevant roles is eligible for the highest level of criminal record check.
- Grooming as an aggravating factor: The government committed to legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing.
- Online age verification pre-screening: The Online Safety Act requires commercial platforms and porn sites to implement "highly effective" age-assurance methods.
Not enacted recommendations include: setting up an Independent Child Protection Authority (ICPA), a Cabinet minister for children, a fully-funded specialist therapy guarantee, a ban on pain-compliance restraints, a unified standardised data set, and a national financial redress scheme.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are committed to tackling the horrors of child sexual abuse and exploitation and recognise the immense courage of victims and survivors. We have introduced mandatory reporting, made grooming a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing, and a nationwide police operation is looking again at closed cases to bring vile offenders to justice."
