I commend the work of The Children’s Society and read about their ‘Seriously Awkward’ campaign with interest. Protecting children is a fundamental duty of Government, and I firmly believe that we need to do all we can to enable children and young people to grow up in a safe environment.
I have had some correspondence that suggests we should raise the age of a victim of child cruelty to 18. Anomalies will inevitably exist when it comes to how we classify children and young people in law. Unfortunately, there is no one age division to fit all circumstances. For this reason, the Government rightly believes that the focus needs to be maintained on children under the age of 16.
This is also true for the age at which a child is classified as such in child abduction offences. Many 16 and 17 year olds can and do live independently of parents or guardians. In light of this, I believe it right for the age to be kept at 16. I can assure you that for particularly vulnerable children in care, it is an offence to take anyone under 18 away from the person responsible for them without permission.
I believe one of the best ways to help older teenagers is to ensure they are either training or remain in the education system. I am therefore delighted that, from this year, young people must be in either education or training until 18.
Unfortunately, I cannot attend the debate on the issue as I have a longstanding engagement, however I will read the Minister’s response with interest the next day.