This is our guide on finding the best sexual abuse claims solicitors for you. If you’ve been sexually abused, it’s important to find a solicitor that you feel comfortable with to make a sexual abuse claim for compensation. Though you don’t need to use the services of a solicitor to claim, it can be a great help.
A guide to sexual abuse claims solicitors
If you’ve been sexually abused, raped or sexually assaulted, you could potentially claim compensation for any physical or mental harm caused. This could include related bodily injury or mental health issues.
A sexual abuse claims solicitor could help you claim from either the perpetrator directly or via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The processes for these claims work slightly differently, which we will look at in more detail later in this guide.
Read on to find out how to find the best sexual abuse claims solicitors for you. Considering the sensitive nature of this article, you may prefer to contact us directly. Some of the content in this guide could cause distress, so feel free to call us using the number on this page at any time.
Our team of advisors can offer free legal advice about your sexual abuse claim. If they think your case has a good chance of success, they may pass you on to a solicitor from our panel. Our panel’s sexual abuse claims solicitors are qualified and experienced in handling claims and could help you claim compensation.
Choose A Section
- Can Sexual Abuse Victims Get Compensation?
- Where To Get Support For Sexual Abuse
- Do Victims Of Sexual Abuse Receive Compensation?
- How Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors Calculate Compensation Payouts
- Finding The Best No Win No Fee Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors For You
- More Guidance On Working With Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors
Can Sexual Abuse Victims Get Compensation?
The Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) prosecutes cases of crime in England and Wales, and they provide definitions for a variety of crimes. This includes child sexual abuse. According to the CPS, child sexual abuse could be when an adult incites or forces another person under 18 to be involved in sexual activities. The perpetrators could be men, women or other minors. Some examples of what would constitute child sexual abuse could be:
- Masturbation
- Kissing
- Rubbing
- Looking at pornography
- Rape and other penetrative acts, such as with objects
- Oral sex
- Prostitution
- Grooming a child in preparation for sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse does not necessarily need to be violent, and the child may not even be aware of what is happening. Adults can also be sexually abused.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines sexual assault as any non-consensual sexual touching of one person by another. Under this Act, rape occurs when a person non-consensually penetrates the mouth, vagina or anus of someone else with their penis.
Sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape are all crimes. Victims could suffer physical harm and serious psychiatric damage as a result.
Get in touch with our advisors today for confidential advice on how you could start a claim with a sexual abuse claims solicitor.
Sexual Abuse Statistics
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is the UK’s leading children’s charity. In 2021, they published statistics on child sexual abuse.
These statistics show that roughly 1 in 20 children in the UK have experienced some form of sexual abuse. They also showed that over a third of all sexual offences recorded by the police are against children.
In this same collection of statistics, the NSPCC looked at the Crime Survey England and Wales, 2019. Out of a sample of adults aged 18-74, 7.5% disclosed that they had experienced some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16. Of these, 6% experienced contact sexual abuse, and 3.2% non-contact sexual abuse.
Where To Get Support For Sexual Abuse
The UK has a wide range of charities aiming to raise awareness about sexual offences and support victims. An emotional support system could be integral during a difficult time, and these charities may be able to provide that for you. Please see some examples below.
- The Survivors Trust – An umbrella agency for specialist sexual abuse and rape support services in the UK. They work with working with victims of all genders, ethnicities, and ages.
- Refuge UK – This charity works to support victims of violence and abuse, including sexual abuse. They have a variety of support services to aid with emotional rehabilitation after abuse.
- Victim Support – A registered charity for those who have been victims of traumatic incidents and crime in England and Wales.
- Rape Crisis – An organisation with centres across England and Wales to support victims of sexual abuse. This charity also aims to raise awareness of sexual violence and abuse and how it could be prevented.
- Survivors UK – This charity works to raise awareness and support victims of sexual abuse where the victims are men, boys and non-binary people.
However, this list is not exhaustive. Plenty of other charities nationwide could provide emotional help if you feel you need it.
Do Victims Of Sexual Abuse Receive Compensation?
Though we mentioned receiving emotional support after being sexually abused in the previous section, you may also need financial support. A sexual abuse claims solicitor could help you with this financial support in the form of compensation. There are two ways you could do this.
Claiming Directly
If you know who the perpetrator is, and they have the funds to compensate you, it’s possible you could claim compensation from them directly. In this type of claim, you could claim compensation for the physical and mental injuries caused (general damages), and compensation covering the costs of specific financial losses caused (special damages), such as loss of earnings.
A sexual abuse claims solicitor can help you make this type of claim. However, you generally need to start your claim within 3 years of the incident. These rules do not apply to children and adults with limited mental capacity.
If an adult has diminished mental capacity, they may be unable to claim on their own behalf. For this reason, they would need a litigation friend to claim. A litigation friend would be an adult the court appoints to make decisions on behalf of the claimant. Also, the time limitation is suspended indefinitely. If the claimant ever recovers, they have 3 years to start a claim if one has not already been started.
Similarly, for a child to make a claim, they need a litigation friend to make decisions on their behalf. A claim can be started on behalf of a minor at any point until they turn 18. After this, and if nobody’s yet claimed on their behalf, they have 3 years to start a claim.
Contact us today to find out more about how sexual abuse claims solicitors could help you with a claim.
CICA Claims
The CICA is a government body that aims to compensate those who have been victims of violent crimes. This includes sexual abuse and sexual assault victims.
There are a few eligibility criteria you must meet to claim through the CICA. Firstly, you must have reported the crime to the police as soon as was possible. The crime also must have happened within Scotland, England or Wales.
You generally must start your application to the CICA within 2 years of the crime.
It may not have been possible to report the crime to the police immediately in some cases; for example, in cases where the victim had diminished mental capacity. The CICA may still consider your claim in these cases if you provide evidence of why you could not apply sooner.
Through the CICA, you could claim:
- Loss of earnings
- Injury payments
- Special expenses
To find out how a sexual abuse claims solicitor could help you claim through the CICA, get in touch with us now.
How Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors Calculate Compensation Payouts
When applying to claim compensation through the CICA for criminal injury compensation, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme will determine your compensation amount. This scheme includes a set tariff of compensation relating to criminal injuries.
| Victim | Type of Offence | Severity | Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victim of any age | Sexual Assault | Serious | £2,000 | Physical and sexual non-penetrative acts under the clothing. |
| Victim of any age | Non-Consensual Penile Penetration or One or More of Anus, Mouth or Vagina | - | £13,500 | The listed offence will have been perpetrated by two or more attackers. |
| Victim of any age | Non-Consensual Penile Penetration or One or More of Anus, Mouth or Vagina | Moderate Mental Illness | £22,000 | The offence resulted in a permanently disabling mental illness. This would be confirmed by psychiatric prognosis. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Sexual Assault | One or More Oral Genital or Non-Penile Penetrative Acts | £8,200 | A pattern of frequent and repetitive incidents over a period of 3 years or longer. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Sexual Assault | Serious | £3,300 | A repetitive pattern of non-penetrative physical and sexual acts under the clothing. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Sexual Assault | One or More Oral Genital or Non-Penile Penetrative Acts | £6,600 | A pattern of repetitive, frequent incidents of the listed offence for up to 3 years. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Sexual Assault | One or More Oral Genital or Non-Penile Penetrative Acts | £27,000 | The listed offence results in a permanently disabling and severe mental illness. This will be confirmed by a psychiatric prognosis. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Non-Consensual Penile Penetration or One or More of Anus, Mouth or Vagina | - | £22,000 | There will be serious internal injuries. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Non-Consensual Penile Penetration or One or More of Anus, Mouth or Vagina | One Incident | £11,000 | One incident of this type of offence. |
| Victim is a child or an adult with diminished mental capacity | Non-Consensual Penile Penetration or One or More of Anus, Mouth or Vagina | - | £22,000 | Offence will have resulted in serious internal bodily injuries. |
You may also wish to claim for special expenses in your CICA claim. This aims to reimburse you for specific financial costs. To claim special expenses, the CICA will ask you to prove that the expense is:
- Necessary
- Reasonable
- Directly associated with your injury
- Cannot be claimed for free elsewhere.
You also have to have been unable to earn for 28 weeks or more, but the CICA will backdate some of these costs.
Similarly, to claim loss of earnings payments, you need to have been out of work for more than 28 weeks. However, you would not be able to claim compensation for losses in those 28 weeks: only the loss of earnings following.
If you want to know more about the types of expenses you could claim for in a CICA claim, why not call the number at the top of this page today?
Finding The Best No Win No Fee Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors For You
If you want to make a sexual abuse claim, you may be concerned about funding the services of a sexual abuse claims solicitor. A solicitor may offer their services under a No Win No Fee agreement to help you.
If a solicitor offers their services on a No Win No Fee basis, they will not require you to pay them their fee if your claim is unsuccessful. You also don’t need to be concerned about paying any solicitor fees upfront before your claim starts or in the duration of your claim.
However, your solicitor would deduct a success fee from your payout amount if your claim does succeed. You still get to keep the majority of the compensation you receive, as this success fee is subject to a legal cap and will only be taken once the CICA or the perpetrator has fully paid your compensation.
Contact Us To Speak To Our Panel Of Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors
If you’ve been sexually abused, a sexual abuse claims solicitor could help you claim compensation. The solicitors on our panel are highly trained and have years of expertise in representing claimants in a variety of cases. They can handle your case with sensitivity, and make the claims process as smooth as possible for you during a difficult time.
To find out more about how we could help you, ring the number at the top of this page today. Our team of advisors can provide confidential, free legal advice about your case. They could also pass you on to a solicitor from our panel who can help you start your claim.
More Guidance On Working With Sexual Abuse Claims Solicitors
Thank you for reading our guide on finding the best sexual abuse claims solicitors for you. For more guidance, please see below.
Help After Rape and Sexual Assault – An NHS guide to what you can do after being sexually assaulted or raped.
Sexual Abuse – Childline’s page on sexual abuse and how it could be prevented.
Reporting Sexual Assault and Rape – A Government guide on how you could report a rape or sexual assault crime.
You can also check out some more of our other guides below:
