Adult survivors of child sexual abuse often tell us that when they were children, the grown-ups around them missed signs that something was seriously wrong. That’s a huge problem because we know how difficult it is for children themselves to speak up when they are being sexually abused.

Abusers often threaten children, telling them they will get into trouble or not be believed if they say anything. But when those children become adults, they tell us that if only someone had noticed what was going on, maybe their terrible experiences could have been avoided or stopped much, much sooner, and in turn prevented lifelong problems.

Today, Child Protection Committees Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland are launching a joint campaign called What If You’re Right? urging adults to really look and listen, and to pay proper attention when their gut feeling tells them something is wrong in a child’s life, especially where there may be the possibility of sexual abuse. This active listening, looking and noticing, followed by taking action, were amongst the key asks from the many adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse we spoke to as part of the campaign design process.

Campaigning remains important because sadly, sexual abuse of children has not gone away. We have had wall-to-wall coverage of sexual abuse from the Jimmy Savile revelations, in Rotherham and Rochdale, and most recently, in a horrific child sexual abuse ring case in Glasgow. There have been other scandals, peppered with individual cases of children being grossly abused, and all evidence shows that the majority of cases of sexual abuse happens within families. And yet, somehow, we still need reminding to stay alert and act when we sense (or know) something is wrong, when we see changes in children’s behaviour or when they hint that something awful is going on.

The Herald: It is difficult for children to speak upIt is difficult for children to speak up (Image: Newsquest)The recent Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse quoted rates of 20% of adults reporting experiencing sexual abuse as a child. This is an alarming figure when you consider that only a fraction of these ever come to the attention of child protection services. We also have the real threat of children being exposed to online abuse, with the National Crime Agency estimating that there are up to 850,000 adults in the UK who pose an online threat to children.

The need to be alert to the risk of sexual abuse of children has never been more pressing. The common plea from the adult survivors we worked with was that we - individuals, families and communities - notice when a child is in distress and take action by raising the alarm. We know it can be difficult to speak up, it can be hard to believe that something horrendous might be happening. It takes bravery to act, but if we don’t, we might be condemning that child to a lifetime of trauma.

Yes, it can be scary to report concerns if you’re worried that you might be wrong. But in this campaign, we urge you to consider “what if you’re right?”

Tam Baillie is Chair of Child Protection Committees Scotland