Reports of sex offences against children rise by eight per cent, NSPCC study shows

More than 23,000 sex offences against children were logged by police in England and Wales last year, according to research by the NSPCC.

The figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act for 2009/10 revealed an eight per cent increase on the previous year when the figure stood at 21,618. Most of the cases concerned children aged 12 to 15, but more than 1,000 victims were pre-school age and one in four was aged 11 or under.

As with previous years, girls were around six times more likely to be sexually assaulted than boys, with more than 20,000 female victims recorded. Police forces recorded 9,636 suspects of sex offences against children, of these 23 per cent were under the age of 18.

Jon Brown, the NSPCC’s lead on child sex abuse, said: “Thousands of people come forward every year to report sex crimes against children. But many victims are too young to ask for help. Others are too scared to tell anyone about their suffering until years later.

“The rise in recorded sex offences against children is a real concern and we need to find ways to help victims and change the behaviour of young offenders. It’s clear we need more services that address the harmful sexual behaviour of young people, as well as adult offenders.”

The charity claimed that official Home Office figures give no clear picture of how many sex offences are committed every year against children, as the annual crime report only lists broad child victim age ranges.

The NSPCC argued that specific information about victims’ ages, gender or whether someone was convicted is vital to find more effective ways to protect children.