UK Creates Child Cruelty Register After Mom's Campaign

A mother's tireless campaign is bringing new protections to vulnerable children across the UK.

The British government will soon create a Child Cruelty Register to track parents and caregivers convicted of harming children. Those on the register will face monitoring similar to sex offenders, including requirements to notify police when they move, change their identity, travel abroad, or live with children again.

Paula Hudgell championed this change after adopting Tony, who survived unimaginable abuse from his birth parents. At just 41 days old, Tony endured brutal attacks that caused multiple fractures, dislocations, and organ failure. His birth parents left him untreated for 10 days, and his injuries were so severe that both his legs required amputation.

The attackers received 10-year prison sentences in 2018. But Mrs. Hudgell wanted to ensure no other child would suffer without better safeguards in place.

The new register will cover child neglect, cruelty, abandonment, female genital mutilation, and infanticide. Authorities can monitor offenders after they serve their sentences and act quickly when new risks emerge.

Sentencing Minister Jake Richards praised Mrs. Hudgell's "remarkable fight to ensure no child should go through the life-altering abuse that her son Tony did." He added that child abusers don't deserve shielding, but children do.

The Ripple Effect

This policy represents more than oversight. It signals that the government is listening to families who felt the system failed to protect the most vulnerable.

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips emphasized that the changes respond directly to the Hudgells and many other families seeking stronger child protection. The register gives police visibility into offenders' movements and activities, creating an early warning system when children might be at risk.

The measure joins other government efforts to keep children safer in schools, online, on the streets, and at home.

One mother's determination to prevent future suffering has transformed national policy, creating lasting protection for countless children who will never know her name.