No Child of Mine

Did You Know?

• The Association of Directors of Social Services criticised the show, claiming the events had not been corroborated by doctors or the police.
• Charities working with sexual abuse survivors praised the show for speaking out about the issue.
• Producer Peter Kominsky said he investigated Kerry's story for two years before making the programme and promised to protect her identity.

Plot

Kerry, a 10-year-old girl whose surname is withheld for her protection, experiences a troubled home life as her parents argue constantly and eventually split up. After the separation, her mother Linda brings in a new boyfriend named Graham, who moves in and starts physically and sexually abusing Kerry. Linda herself sometimes joins in the abuse, forcing Kerry to perform oral sex on her. Kerry's father Jim, a construction worker, tries to coerce her into prostitution, a scheme she only becomes aware of when several truck drivers use her. The situation deteriorates further, and Kerry runs away after Jim attacks Linda and Graham for mistreating her. One of her schoolteachers, Paul, learns about her ordeal and attempts to get her into childcare. The teacher, along with social workers and friends, files charges of sexual and physical abuse against Graham, but the Crown Prosecution Service later drops the case, claiming there is not enough legal proof. Kerry is placed in foster care but cannot adjust, repeatedly damaging property, which forces the foster family to give up on her. She is then moved to a care home, where a pimp seduces her by understanding her feelings about her abusive mother and stepfather, and she willingly sells herself for money for a period. A social worker at the care home also begins sexually abusing her. Feeling desperate and without hope, Kerry often visits her teacher Paul and tries to move in with him, but he is unable to take her in. He asks a friend who is a child-support agent to find a safe place for her, but her case cannot be given any more attention than any other child's. Near the end, Kerry runs away and discovers a small, quiet care home in the countryside. The staff there refuse the money she offers, which she earned through prostitution. Deeply traumatized, she does not speak for the first five days. After twelve days, as she starts to trust the staff, she breaks down emotionally and tells the woman running the home about the horrific abuse she endured. The film notes that her abusers faced no legal consequences and highlights the very low conviction rate for child sexual abuse in the UK. Kerry eventually earned her GCSE and went on to attend university.