Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Rejected
Amend Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme eligibility to include online sexual offence claims
Recommendation
The Ministry of Justice must amend the eligibility criteria of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to bring claims from victims of sexual offences perpetrated online, specifically non-consensual intimate image abuse, within its scope. (Recommendation, Paragraph 26)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects amending the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme eligibility criteria to include online sexual offences and non-consensual intimate image abuse. They state this would fundamentally alter the scheme's purpose, which is for crimes of violence, and believe the current scope is broad enough for cases escalating to violence.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Government response: Reject We have carefully considered potential changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme’s scope, including the views of respondents to consultations undertaken by the previous Government. Our conclusion is that we will maintain the current scope of the Scheme. Our decision was explained in the Government response to two of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme consultations, published on 9 April 2025. To include online sexual offending and NCII would fundamentally alter the purpose of the Scheme, which is to provide a last resort compensation option for victims who suffer injury from crimes of violence. Our view is that the current scope of the Scheme is broad enough to allow for a wide range of circumstances, including, in certain cases, online exploitation and grooming, where situations have escalated into ones involving violence or the immediate threat of violence.