Sixty child abuse cases are recorded every day
14:17 - 29/01/2010
Sixty child abuse cases are recorded ...
Shocking new statistics collected by the NSPCC reveal that more than 21,000 child sex offences were recorded by police in England and Wales last year. That amounts to an average of sixty offences every day.
The statistics were compiled after the NSPCC asked all 43 police forces throughout England and Wales via a Freedom of Information request. They show that in one in seven cases the offences were committed against children younger than ten, with 1000 recorded cases of abuse being carried out against children aged five and under. It was also revealed, however, that over 75% of child abuse victims were between 10 and 17 years old.
According to the data, girls were six times more likely than boys to be the victims of a sex crime. It was also apparent that in most cases the offender was known to the victim rather than being a stranger.
This is the second year that the NSPCC has collected data from police forces in England and Wales – in the year 2007/08 the total number of recorded sex offences against children was 20,758 – and, once again, they are urging the UK government to publish these details. At the moment the Home Office gathers data from police forces for its annual crime report but it records the number of sexual offences committed against adults and children as a combined statistic. The figure is only split to show how many of the total number of sex crime victims were under the age of 13 and the NSPCC is concerned that this does not give a clear and accurate picture of the issue.
The NSPCC believes that if the government published details about the number of sex offences committed against children, together with a gender and exact age breakdown of the victims, and established a clear link between these findings and the number of resulting convictions and other penalties, this information could lead to a national sex abuse prevention strategy. They also think the data could help with the development of local services to treat child victims.
NSPCC director of strategy and development Phillip Noyes said: "These figures show just how many children are still being sexually abused every day. It's a shocking picture - even more so because these are only offences reported to the police. We believe the true extent of the problem is far worse. Some of these children are so young they can't tell anyone what is happening. So it's vital that adults look out for them and call the NSPCC helpline or contact police and social services if they are concerned.”
If you are an adult whose work involves interaction with young people, a part of their well-being lies with you. We offer in-house Child Protection training which helps to provide an understanding of the responsibilities for safeguarding children. The course will make you aware of what actions you should take when child abuse is suspected or reported. This training is also available as one of our 40 E-learning titles and can make staff more aware of how to handle these very delicate and serious situations and provide a secure environment for children. For further information please call us today.
The statistics were compiled after the NSPCC asked all 43 police forces throughout England and Wales via a Freedom of Information request. They show that in one in seven cases the offences were committed against children younger than ten, with 1000 recorded cases of abuse being carried out against children aged five and under. It was also revealed, however, that over 75% of child abuse victims were between 10 and 17 years old.
According to the data, girls were six times more likely than boys to be the victims of a sex crime. It was also apparent that in most cases the offender was known to the victim rather than being a stranger.
This is the second year that the NSPCC has collected data from police forces in England and Wales – in the year 2007/08 the total number of recorded sex offences against children was 20,758 – and, once again, they are urging the UK government to publish these details. At the moment the Home Office gathers data from police forces for its annual crime report but it records the number of sexual offences committed against adults and children as a combined statistic. The figure is only split to show how many of the total number of sex crime victims were under the age of 13 and the NSPCC is concerned that this does not give a clear and accurate picture of the issue.
The NSPCC believes that if the government published details about the number of sex offences committed against children, together with a gender and exact age breakdown of the victims, and established a clear link between these findings and the number of resulting convictions and other penalties, this information could lead to a national sex abuse prevention strategy. They also think the data could help with the development of local services to treat child victims.
NSPCC director of strategy and development Phillip Noyes said: "These figures show just how many children are still being sexually abused every day. It's a shocking picture - even more so because these are only offences reported to the police. We believe the true extent of the problem is far worse. Some of these children are so young they can't tell anyone what is happening. So it's vital that adults look out for them and call the NSPCC helpline or contact police and social services if they are concerned.”
If you are an adult whose work involves interaction with young people, a part of their well-being lies with you. We offer in-house Child Protection training which helps to provide an understanding of the responsibilities for safeguarding children. The course will make you aware of what actions you should take when child abuse is suspected or reported. This training is also available as one of our 40 E-learning titles and can make staff more aware of how to handle these very delicate and serious situations and provide a secure environment for children. For further information please call us today.
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