Sex offences against children rise says NSPCC
17 June 2015
From the section UK
The number of recorded sexual offences against children in England and Wales has risen by a third, the NSPCC says.
There were 31,000 offences recorded in the year up to April 2014, up 8,500 on the previous year.
Figures compiled by the charity show 85 offences were recorded by police every day, with significant rises in Scotland and Northern Ireland also.
The government said tackling child sexual abuse was a priority for every police force.
Peter Wanless, the NSPCC’s chief executive, said the figures were “a fraction of the true number of victims, because some endure an agonising wait of many years before telling anyone – and others never reveal what has happened to them”.
According to the figures, compiled by a Freedom of Information request, most of the victims were aged between 12 and 16.
But 8,282 were younger than 11, the charity said. Of those, 2,895 are estimated to be aged five or under, including 94 babies.
And 24,457 of the reported abuse cases were against girls, with 5,292 against boys. The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of sex crimes against children, with 3,523.
In 2012/13, the same research showed 22,654 cases were recorded by 41 police forces. All 43 forces in England and Wales responded in the latest study.
The NSPCC said the total had largely remained steady until this year’s figures, and that the 38% rise was the biggest increase in six years of requesting the data.
The number has now increased by almost 50% since 2008/09.
Analysis
By Danny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondent
Over the past 18 months there’s been a raft of data indicating that more people are reporting sexual offences.
What’s different about these statistics is that there’s a breakdown by age of victim, enabling us to see the extent of the problem as it affects children. It’s a deeply worrying picture.
It raises questions about the level of support available for victims, at a time when criminal justice, welfare and health budgets are under strain, as well as the need to find ways to deal …read more
Source:: BBC UK
