Covid inquiry hears lockdowns led to increase in kids' suffering and abuse

Some kids suffered “grievous harm” at the hands of those who should have been caring for them in lockdown, the Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.

Chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett said the pandemic’simpact on children and young people had been “severe”.

They missed out on education, social interaction and for the most at-risk they lost protection from abuse, Baroness Hallett said. The first day of the latest module of the inquiry heard the lockdowns which led to school closures had disrupted the “very fabric of childhood”.

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Youngsters were more exposed to violent pornography online whilst at home or spent most of the day gaming not learning.

Counsel to the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC said the closure of schools “starkly highlighted” their importance as the agency which knows children and families best. She said: “The reality is that there were children who suffered grievous harm at the hands of their carers during the pandemic.

“These children stand as the starkest examples of what adults are capable of doing to children behind closed doors.”

Former PM Boris Johnson and his Education Secretary Gavin Williamson are expected to give evidence later.