Why is child abuse suddenly in the spotlight in Britain?

London — This is normally a languid time of year in Westminster, with Parliament winding down for the long summer holiday. But this season, it has been anything but.

Last week saw the British government announce a pair of historic inquiries into allegations of sexual abuse of children by politicians and other figures in high authority. The inquiries, which follow a string of celebrity child abuse scandals that has dominated British headlines, point to a dramatic change here, in which many hundreds of victims of abuse by the well connected and powerful are coming forward to report decades-old crimes.

In some ways, it seems surprising that this reckoning has taken so long. But it has taken the confluence of a high-profile case, police investigations, and the media's pursuit of a good story to create the storm that is now brewing in Westminster.

“It's a sea change really,” says John Bird, who himself was abused as a child and now works for the National Association for People Abused in Childhood [NAPAC], which runs a telephone helpline for victims. “I never thought I would see it happening in my lifetime.”

http://www.minnpost.com/christian-science-monitor/2014/07/why-child-abuse-suddenly-spotlight-britain