FIGHTING child sex abuse must be central to any strategy for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), campaigners have warned.

Charities including Barnardo’s and the NSPCC have written to the government after a leaked Home Office document reported in Sky News suggested that sexual exploitation of children would not be within the scope of its forthcoming VAWG strategy.

The letter, also signed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, says: “Violence against girls is inseparable from violence against women.

“VAWG and child sexual abuse are inherently and deeply connected, with shared root causes like gender inequality, misogyny and power imbalances making a co-ordinated and joined-up response essential.”

The charities note that children account for 40 per cent of all victims of sexual offences, despite making up just 20 per cent of the population.

Ministers have promised to halve VAWG by 2034 and are set to release a strategy in September.

IWF chief executive Kerry Smith said: “This strategy is a golden opportunity to put those girls at the heart of a real, concerted response to a problem which reaches into every facet of daily life.

“Failing to do so would be to fail so many victims whose sexual abuse our analysts witness every day and who we work so hard to prevent being revictimised.”

NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Children, especially girls, are disproportionately affected by sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline.

“The trauma this can cause doesn’t always end in childhood; it can echo throughout their lives.

“To deliver on their promise to halve violence against women and girls, this strategy must tackle all forms of child abuse.

“This must include equipping professionals to spot abuse early on, engaging young people so that abuse is prevented in the first place and improving access to specialist support for all victims.”

A government spokesperson said: “The forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will include targeted action to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), as well as other VAWG crimes.

“But there is also a distinctive and transformative workstream under way to address the specific crimes of CSEA to ensure those crimes get the specialist response they demand.”