Report finds thousands of scared and suspicious teens ‘not reporting sex crimes’

By The Press Association4th November 2015News EnglandNews England, Sexual Abuse, Victim Support, Young People / Youth Work, Youth Work

Many teenage victims of sex crimes in England and Wales are not reporting them because they fear not being believed and are suspicious of the justice system, according to a new report.

The scale of the problem is highlighted in new figures obtained and analysed by The Children’s Society.

Through Freedom of Information requests, the charity found that police in England recorded 4,900 sexual offence cases – including sexual exploitation, rape and sexual assaults – against 16 and 17 year olds in the last year.

But the organisation’s analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales revealed that an estimated 50,000 girls of this age say they have been victims of these crimes.

The report shows that half those young people who did not report such crimes took that course of action because they did not consider it worth reporting, feared going to court, or did not want the perpetrators punished.

The charity said it was a picture reflected by its front-line staff who work with children and young people across the country who have been sexually abused or are at risk of sexual exploitation.

Many do not go to the police, fearing they will not be believed or that they will be judged, and others take the same course because they fear the perpetrators or are uncertain about what constitutes crime, consent and sexual exploitation.

The report – Old Enough To Know Better? Why sexually exploited teenagers are being overlooked – found also that of the cases reported to police, fewer than one in five resulted in a charge or summons.

The charity said older teenagers who had experienced sexual exploitation faced huge obstacles in getting the protection and help they needed. Despite being more vulnerable than other age groups, there is often less protection and support available because they are seen as being “old enough to know better” because they have reached the age of consent.

As a result, they are often blamed for putting themselves in risky situations even when they have been specifically targeted and groomed through the use of drugs and alcohol.

It called on the Government to make sure police have the means they need to protect them from sexual exploitation and that consent to take drugs and drink alcohol is never confused with consent to engage in sexual acts.

Matthew Reed, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Too many children are being left to suffer sexual exploitation in silence. Despite 16 and 17 year olds being at the highest risk, they often receive the least support. Dangerous inconsistencies in the law and services need to be changed. These young people are still children and the Government must make sure that the police and other agencies have the means they need in order to keep them safe.”