I believe that legislation and activities in England and Wales should specifically enable:

  1. Criminalisation of a person who:
    1. Forces someone to undergo “conversion therapy” under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and for children using existing child abuse legislation to prosecute parents or legal guardians for making their children take part and in addition for doing so through deception, coercion or threats,
    2. Aids, abets counsels or procures any person to use medical, therapeutic, holistic or psychotherapy treatments or interventions to change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation or manifestation of that sexual orientation or desired gender identity and expression (the act may take place anywhere in the world provided that the act is done by a United Kingdom national or resident). Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring can occur by many means, including online. This should include knowingly providing or making use of a premise for the hosting of conversion therapy,
    3. Fails to protect a child (under 16) from “conversion therapy” (this is for parents / legal guardians), and
    4. Advertises provision of “conversion therapy” (if this is not possible, see point 6).
  2. Introduction of Conversion Therapy Protection Orders made by the Family Court (civil law – although a breach is a criminal offence) to protect those children or vulnerable adults at risk of “conversion therapy”,
  3. Introduction of a legal mandatory duty to report to police known or suspected cases of children under 18 of “conversion therapy” placed on health and social care professionals, and teachers,
  4. Introduction of a duty for survivors of “conversion therapy” to be entitled to support under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime,
  5. Introduction of lifelong anonymity for victims of “conversion therapy”,
  6. To ensure fraudulent advertisers of “conversion therapy” are stopped by being eligible to be reported and prosecuted under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008,
  7. It is also recommended that a specific pot of funding is created for a “Conversion Therapy” phoneline, to be run by a LGBTQ+ charity with the requisite training to which individuals can whistle-blow, but moreover seek counselling and support, and
  8. A Public communications campaign to accompany the new legislation and launch of the phoneline, working with religious and community figures.