Breaking the silence is a powerful phrase but it is also an act. What happens when language itself becomes another barrier to speaking up?
We know that Asian children and young people are consistently under-represented among those whose sexual abuse is reported to services, and in 2021 the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) published a study identifying good practice and building understanding of the barriers faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic children.
A knowledge review of child sexual abuse among African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children followed. Research I have undertaken has also highlighted the complexity of languages, words and phrases in relation to the sensitive topic of child sexual abuse and suggested a framework to explore this further.
In 2025, funded by the Ministry of Justice, the CSA Centre and Research in Practice, along with Sabah Kaiser as an expert associate set out to explore words in the context of child sexual abuse, in Urdu and Punjabi.
As a result of a year’s exploratory work the Finding Words project has produced a practice tool designed for adaptable use with other languages. We also explored emerging findings, and the words and phrases that Urdu and Punjabi-speaking communities we worked with found accurate, respectful and usable.
Staff from 'by and for' community organisations facilitated the language-testing focus groups, and, working alongside expert associates, academics and an advisory group, we supported facilitators to run these groups. Participants engaged with and challenged what we offered at every step, giving us rich, thoughtful reflection on the words we had identified.
An upcoming webinar will explore more about this ambitious and innovative project, and about the tool we've developed that can be adapted and used in other languages.
Finding Words: Talking about child sexual abuse in Urdu and Punjabi
10:00-12:00, 15 October
The session is designed for practice leaders and professionals working with Urdu and Punjabi-speaking children and families, including those in safeguarding, child protection and interpreting roles, and anyone interested in adapting this approach for other languages.
In the context of the new statutory duty set out in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 that those undertaking key roles with responsibility for children and young people in England report sexual abuse when they are made aware of it, this feels like a timely conversation.
This work enables conversations about languages - not just as barriers - but as a potentially conducive context for prevention and safeguarding.
