Inquiry calls for new offence in England and Wales of failing to report child abuse

Final report of independent inquiry into child sexual abuse also urges creation of scheme to compensate victims

• What is the inquiry and why did it take so long?

A new criminal offence should be created for people working in positions of trust who fail to report allegations of child sexual abuse, according to a landmark report that also calls for the creation of a national scheme to compensate victims for the incalculable" harm inflicted on them.

The final report of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales, seven years after it was launched, says children have faced limitless" cruelty with the complicity of institutions and that the problem remains endemic", with online abuse growing exponentially.