A UK think-tank today issued a report (‘Licensed to Hug’) which states that “the dramatic escalation of child protection measures has succeeded in poisoning the relationship between the generations and creating an atmosphere of suspicion that actually increases the risks to children”.

See http://www.civitas.org.uk/blog/2008/06/licensed_to_hug.html for the full story.

Frank Furedi, Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent, argues that children “need to have contact with a range of adult members of the community for their education and socialisation”, but that “this form of collaboration, which has traditionally underpinned intergenerational relationships, is now threatened by a regime that insists that adult/child encounters must be mediated through a security check”.

Professor Furedi refers primarily to the recent UK legislation – Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 – which requires a criminal records check for more or less anyone who comes into contact with children: “‘From Girl Guiders to football coaches, from Christmas-time Santas to parents helping out in schools, volunteers — once regarded as pillars of the community — have been transformed in the regulatory and public imagination into potential child abusers, barred from any contact with children until the database gives them the green light.”

(As a result of this legislation, it is estimated that by October next year, criminal records checks will be required of 11.3 million people – over one-quarter of the adult population of England.)

Instead of creating ‘an atmosphere of fear and suspicion’, the Report says that there should be “a halt to the juggernaut of regulation” and argues that “we would all benefit” from encouraging “greater openness and more frequent contact between the generations”.

Initial public response to this Report is broadly encouraging – the vast majority of comments at one site (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/26/civitas_crb_report/comments/) for example, agree with the Report’s conclusions, with the general theme of ‘it’s about time for a backlash against Government protectionism’.

In itself, of course, this Report is merely the view of a political think-tank. Nevertheless, the story seems to have been picked up by many of the major UK newspapers, and – if nothing else comes of it – at least it hopefully plants in the minds of the masses the notion that the UK Government is going too far with it’s self-serving ‘think of the children’ hysteria…and maybe…just maybe…the Government may think twice before implementing the next piece of legislation.

We can of course expect powerful lobbying against this swathe of public opinion by the child abuse industry – particularly children’s charities and law enforcement bodies like CEOP, who have a significant financial interest in perpetuating the hysteria. (And, consequently, don’t be surprised if, in the next week or two, a “major pedophile ring” is conveniently unearthed). Nevertheless, in a time of overwhelmingly negative news stories, generation of the ‘time for a backlash?’ question is – at least on a subliminal level – a positive one.