Powerful Perpetrators is a five-year project looking at sexual misconduct and abuse perpetrated by professionals, and the regulatory and administrative justice mechanisms used to investigate and sanction their behaviour.

It is an ERC/UKRI funded project (EP/Y004698/1, 01-Nov-23 to 31-Oct-28) exploring the nature and prevalence of sexual misconduct and abuse perpetrated by professionals. It also seeks to evaluate the disciplinary mechanisms used to investigate and sanction their behaviour. The project focuses on a specific group of high status/high trust UK professionals: doctors and psychiatrists; religious leaders; police; military; judges and barristers; and politicians.

Following completion of the Stage 1 review of the existing international evidence for each profession (see: Project Updates – Powerful Perpetrators), the project is now moving into the data collection phase.  As well as requesting data from regulators and other data-holders (Stage 2), the researchers are:

• seeking to interview individuals working (currently or formerly) in areas relating to misconduct, disciplinary or professionals standards processes or policy, as well as legal counsel working on these cases (Stage 3)
• running an online anonymous survey for individuals who have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and abuse by professionals (Stage 4)

To find out more, please visit: Get Involved – Powerful Perpetrators