The family of two-year-old Maya Chappell, who was violently shaken to death by her mother's boyfriend in 2022, has pledged to keep campaigning for stronger child safeguarding laws following a Parliamentary debate. Maya's great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, have been pushing for 'Maya's Law', which would require authorities to share information about a caregiver's known history of risk with a parent or guardian.
The petition, which garnered over 110,000 signatures, was debated in Westminster Hall on Monday evening. While the Government said it is already taking steps to strengthen safeguarding measures, ministers are being urged to go further and faster. Gemma Chappell expressed disappointment that the Government had not yet agreed to implement Maya's Law, but took heart from the cross-party support shown during the debate.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Gemma said: 'While these people [MPs] are talking and writing, children are being killed, being abused, being left on their own with no voice. We need to move on from conversation and negotiation to action.' She added that taking the campaign to Parliament was 'the biggest thing we could have had at this point' and acknowledged the process takes time.
Sunderland Central Labour MP Lewis Atkinson, who led the debate, noted that the family's key demand for a strengthened right to information about risks posed by other adults 'remains outstanding'. He said: 'Let us hope that we can get this legislation passed, as well as the following statutory guidance, which will take us a step closer to Maya's law.'
Children's Minister Josh MacAlister told MPs that 'changes to deliver the goals of Maya's law are, I believe, in train', citing three areas of reform: strengthening the child sex offender disclosure scheme, introducing a child cruelty register, and a new information sharing duty in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. He vowed to 'honour Maya's memory with not just words but change as soon as possible'.
Blaydon and Consett MP Liz Twist highlighted that 35% of child homicides are committed by a parent or step-parent, and over 50% of serious case reviews cite communication failures as a primary cause. The family continues to push for urgent action to prevent further tragedies.
