London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Everyone's Invited: Sex abuse claims 'not limited to private schools'

Everyone's Invited: Sex abuse claims 'not limited to private schools'

Allegations about sexual abuse in schools involve more than only private institutions in London, a senior Met Police officer has said.

Several independent schools in the capital have been accused of failing to deal with a "rape culture", in claims written on the Everyone's Invited site.

Det Supt Mel Laremore told the BBC more than 100 institutions are named and it was "a national issue".

The website's founder said the focus on private schools was "disappointing".

Everyone's Invited was set up last year as a place where victims can post anonymous accounts of abuse they had suffered.

It has now received more than 5,000 testimonies, including accounts from people as young as nine.

Soma Sara set up the Everyone's Invited website to highlight victims' stories of sexual abuse

Allegations by pupils who attended independent schools have recently been highlighted.

On Thursday, Highgate School in north London announced it had launched an external review into claims of sexual abuse.

However, DS Laremore, the Met's lead for rape and sexual offences, told the Today programme she believed the issue was "more widespread than private schools".

"We're still looking into the exact scope of how wide this spreads but certainly I know there's already over 100 schools cited on the website which do reach out to national parameters," she said.

Posting an article on Instagram which she had originally written for the I newspaper, the website's founder Soma Sara said the "prevalence" of "rape culture" in education was being "overshadowed by the focus on a handful of institutions".

She explained there had been an initial bias towards private schools on the site because of her own background but "we are beginning to see a widening of the demographics, with a significant increase in the numbers of state schools, as well as universities, being mentioned".

"Seeing this long-overdue discussion being narrowed down to private schools is disappointing," she wrote.
line

'He started touching me'


One 17-year-old girl who attended a London state school told the BBC she had been abused by a sixth former when she was aged 13.

She said she the boy had approached her when she was out with friends after school and then "he started touching me... and he tried to take off my clothes".

The teenager said a member of the public had intervened after she started shouting but when police got involved she was told there was not enough evidence for them to pursue the case.

Asked how it made her feel, the 17-year-old said she was "labelled as a girl who lied about something. That's serious and I didn't go to school for a while".

She added she still does not "go near men or boys", as "I'm scared of them and I get uncomfortable around them".

The Met has been contacting institutions named on the site as part of investigations into the allegations made on Everyone's Invited.

The force has said it is looking into allegations written on the website.

Speaking about the online campaign, DS Laremore said the force "welcome any initiative which encourages any victim-survivor of a sexual offence to speak out and seek support.

"We take all allegations of sexual assault very seriously.

"Regardless of how long ago an offence took place, I would like to remind any victim-survivor that support is available for you should you wish to speak to us," she said.

What is Everyone's Invited?


In June 2020, Ms Sara, who is now 22, shared her experience on Instagram of what she calls "rape culture".

Within a week she had received and shared more than 300 anonymous responses of people with stories of "misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault".

The Everyone's Invited website now carries thousands of victims' testimonies, often from schools and universities.

Experiences range from being drugged and raped at parties, to explicit images being shared over messaging platforms.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×