Volunteers from the helpline ChildLine are planning to visit every primary school in the UK at least once every two years to teach children about abuse. The new NSPCC campaign called ‘Now I Know’ aims to raise awareness and teach 9 to 11 year olds about how to protect themselves and where to get help.

The appeal also aims to raise £20million in funding for the ChildLine School Service.

The NSPCC claims that there can be a massive reduction in child abuse if more is done to prevent it before it starts. On average, two children in every primary class have suffered some form of abuse or neglect.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless used the Jimmy Savile case as an example of what can happen if people do not speak up. He said “We want children to be able to say ‘now I know’ – and not ‘I wish I had known’. And we want everyone to play their part by looking out for children and reinforcing the messages about speaking up’.

Mr Wanless said the main aim of the campaign is to inspire people to believe that child abuse can be prevented and stated that “Protection after the event, vital as it is, can’t attack the root causes of the problem. By helping children understand and identify abuse in an age-appropriate way, we can encourage them to speak out earlier and protect themselves and others from the devastating effects of abuse.”

According to ChildLine, the majority of children who contact its helpline are over 11 years of age, but many speak about abuse which happened months or years earlier.

A study carried out showed just 36% of UK adults thought they would have recognised abuse if it had happened to them at primary school age and that only 38% of adults would have known who to ask for help at that age.

At Farleys we specialise in helping people claim compensation for abuse and often find that many victims do not come forward until years after the abuse has occurred. This campaign will hopefully educate children about what abuse is and who they can tell about it and, in doing so, help children feel as though they can turn to adults for help if they need it.

If you have been affected by this story and would like to discuss the possibility of making an abuse compensation claim, please get in touch with us today for free of charge advice. All calls are treated with confidence.