7 children ‘will be sexually abused’ in the next 24 hours
SCOTLAND’s secret abuse shame is exposed today as new figures show seven sexual offences a day against children are reported to police.
A total of 2,483 crimes, including rape and sexual assault, were logged by officers last year, according to data released under Freedom of Information laws.
Across the UK, the overall figure is five offences per hour.
Significantly higher numbers of offences were committed against girls than boys, but a leading children’s charity warned the figures were probably only a fraction of the true level of abuse as many terrified victims continue to suffer in silence.
As more children find the courage to speak out, NSPCC Scotland has called for Scotland’s legal system to develop a more sensitive and effective response to ensure justice.
The charity’s head of service, Matt Forde, said: ‘The reality that right now every day seven children are being abused is an appalling one and shows that there is a desperate need to support children who have suffered from sexual abuse.
‘For too many children, our court system adds further trauma to their earlier experiences of abuse.
‘We welcome proposals to reform our legal system to better support child witnesses in Scotland. We would urge the government to replicate Scandinavian models as part of this reform, to free children from further suffering and allow the therapeutic support they need to begin more quickly.’
The latest statistics came from a Freedom of Information request by the charity to the 45 forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This revealed also that the number of child sex offences reported to police throughout the UK rose to a record 45,456 in 2014-15 – the equivalent of five offences per hour.
Among the crimes where the gender of the victim was recorded, 30,393 victims were female and 7,639 male.
In Scotland, there are no figures from 2013-14 with which to compare this year’s figures, but England and Wales recorded a 33 per cent year-on-year rise in offences.
An It’s Time campaign has been launched by NSPCC Scotland to put pressure on Westminster and Holyrood to increase funding for support services for children who have suffered abuse and to ring-fence money to provide much-needed therapeutic help for survivors.
Mr Forde added: ‘Sexual abuse can shatter a child’s mental health. It can leave them anxious, depressed and even suicidal.
‘That is why it is crucial every single child who has endured abuse and needs support must get timely, thorough help so that they can rebuild their lives.’
The NSPCC said a number of factors could be behind the rise, including changes in the way police record crime, survivors being encouraged to speak out following high-profile abuse cases, and the ‘major problem’ of online grooming.
A spokesman for the charity added yesterday: ‘ Sex offenders grooming children online is a huge problem and children in the UK can be targeted from anywhere in the world.
‘Online predators may trawl social networks, online game environments and other areas popular with children to build trust with young people and exploit any vulnerabilities they discover.
‘The methods are sometimes very sophisticated, or they may take a more scattergun approach and target hundreds of children at a time.’
The NSPCC, which relies on voluntary donations for 90 per cent of its funding, runs the ChildLine telephone service which provides a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to.
ChildLine can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0800 1111 or by visiting www.childline.org.uk
‘Court system adds further trauma’