‘Child prostitution’ convictions to be wiped under new government reforms

New amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled last week, will ensure that anyone convicted or cautioned as a child for loitering or soliciting offences under pre-2015 laws will have those records automatically expunged.

The changes recognise the serious injustices faced by victims who, instead of being protected and supported, were criminalised for acts carried out under coercion and abuse. In many of these cases, the perpetrators escaped prosecution while the victims were left carrying lifelong criminal records.

The new measures will remove these convictions from official records, eliminating barriers to employment and restoring victims’ dignity and rights. The government expects the reforms to benefit hundreds of people.

The move directly responds to a recommendation in Baroness Casey’s review of grooming gangs, published in June, which called for pardons for those wrongly convicted under outdated legislation.

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “We will not allow failures of the past to define the futures of those who were let down by the system. Victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation deserve compassion and support, not a criminal record. Today, we are taking decisive action to put that right.”

The disregard and pardon scheme will take effect automatically once the Bill receives Royal Assent.

Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), welcomed the change, saying it represents a vital step towards a more survivor-centred justice system.

“No child should ever be criminalised for being a victim of abuse or exploitation,” she said. “We hope this brings validation and recognition to those who were so gravely wronged.”

“Our own research, drawn from over 46,000 interactions with victims, tells us that both recognition of the abuse and being believed are integral to how survivors themselves define a positive justice outcome. The decision to disregard and pardon these convictions is a significant step towards building a justice system that can offer better, more survivor-centred outcomes.”

The reforms mark a significant shift in how the justice system recognises and supports survivors of exploitation, ensuring that historic systemic failures do not continue to shape victims’ lives today.