Child Like Sexual Abuse Dolls Offences Bill, What the New Law Would Mean

A specific gap in criminal law, one police have encountered while investigating registered sex offenders and child sexual abuse suspects is set to be closed after the government formally backed a bill creating a new offence for child like sexual abuse dolls. The Child like Sexual Abuse Dolls (Offences) Private Members' Bill cleared committee stage on 4 September 2026, marking a significant step towards the legislation becoming law.

Under the bill, making, buying, selling or owning child like sexual abuse dolls would become a specific criminal offence in the UK. Anyone convicted could face a maximum of five years in prison. The government's decision to back the legislation substantially improves its chances without ministerial support, Private Members' Bills rarely complete their parliamentary journey.

Why Current Law Left Police Without a Dedicated Charge

Police have come across child like sexual abuse dolls during searches of registered sex offenders and while investigating child sexual abuse suspects. The problem has been that current legislation contains no specific offence for simply making or owning them. Officers could seize items in some circumstances, but lacked a clear statutory charge tied directly to their possession or manufacture.

The bill creates that charge directly. It establishes a named offence for anyone who makes, buys, sells or possesses child like sexual abuse dolls, with a maximum prison term of five years. By making possession itself the trigger for prosecution, the legislation gives police a defined legal basis to act whenever these items are found, whether during a routine monitoring visit to a registered sex offender or a more complex abuse inquiry.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Satvir Kaur, said the government was supporting the bill as part of its drive to "expose abuse sooner, disrupt offenders faster and protect more vulnerable children." Kaur described the items as "vile" and said the new law would allow police to seize them and prosecute those involved in their trade.

Up to Five Years in Prison, What the Bill Would Criminalise and the Penalties

Committee stage, where MPs examine the legislation clause by clause and propose amendments passed on 4 September 2026. The bill now returns to the Commons floor for further debate before transferring to the House of Lords.

The bill builds on provisions already in the Crime and Policing Act. That Act introduced a mandatory duty for people in key roles to report suspected child sexual abuse and created a new offence for interfering with that reporting duty. It made grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences and brought in world leading new offences targeting AI generated child sexual abuse material. Border Force was also given expanded powers to stop digital child sexual abuse material at the border.

NSPCC, Barnardo's and CEASE Back the Bill But Push for More

Four major safeguarding organisations, the NSPCC, Barnardo's, NAPAC and CEASE have publicly endorsed the bill's progress. Their endorsements are not without qualification, and several have used the moment to push for wider action that goes beyond what the bill itself covers.

The NSPCC's position is the most carefully argued of the four. While firmly in support of the legislation, the charity challenged an idea sometimes raised in debates around similar measures that these dolls might serve as a deterrent to contact offending. Its evidence suggests the reverse is more likely, with desensitisation a real concern.

Where This Bill Fits in the Government's £100m Child Protection Drive

The bill is one strand of what the government has described as a significantly expanded response to child sexual abuse. A record £100 million was recently announced to improve the police response to these crimes, pursue offenders and support victims and survivors. The dolls bill is part of that wider legislative and funding framework rather than a standalone measure.

The backing of the Home Office is likely to prove decisive in parliamentary terms. Government supported Private Members' Bills have a considerably stronger record of reaching Royal Assent than those without ministerial endorsement. How quickly the remaining stages complete will depend on the time available in the current parliamentary session and whether the bill faces any substantive opposition during Lords scrutiny.

What Changes for Police If This Bill Becomes Law

For officers working on child sexual abuse cases, the practical effect of the bill is direct and immediate. A specific offence means that finding one of these items during a search or monitoring visit provides a defined legal basis for arrest and prosecution in its own right. At present, without that specific charge, officers must rely on adjacent offences that do not always apply cleanly to every set of circumstances.

The bill has not yet become law. It still needs to clear the remaining Commons stages and pass through the Lords before it can receive Royal Assent. That process can be disrupted by parliamentary scheduling pressures, even when government backing is in place.

What is clear is the legislative direction. The government has said plainly that it considers these items a risk to children, and it wants criminal sanctions on the statute book that reflect that giving police a tool they have not had before.