Child sex abuse cases rise 31% in just one year

NSPCC urges action over shock figures

CASES of sexual abuse reported to police by the NSPCC rose by nearly a third last year, new figures show.

The charity referred 90 suspected cases to police and children’s services every week during 2016/17, up 31% from a year before.

Experts fear one in every 20 children in the UK has experienced sexual abuse.

John Cameron, head of helplines at the NSPCC, said: “It is deeply worrying that so many children are potentially being exposed to such a devastating experience.

“It is vital that anyone who suspects a young person is in danger contacts the authorities or gets in touch.”

The charity’s free, confidential helpline referred 4,677 calls and emails to local authorities last year and gave advice about sexual abuse in another 3,912 cases.

Some youngsters were not physically touched but were persuaded to take part in activities online through live streaming.

Others did not realise they were being abused and some did not know what they were doing was wrong.

One caller said: “I am concerned a young girl in the neighbourhood might be at risk of sexual abuse by men who visit the house on weekends. There is lots of drinking and mum doesn’t seem to be too concerned about leaving her alone with them.”

The NSPCC is calling for an urgent Government study into child abuse and neglect, to establish the scale of the problem.

The Mirror is running our Christmas campaign for NSPCC and Childline to make sure other young people do not suffer.

The charity gets 90% of its funding from donations but a lack of resources leaves one in four calls to Childline unanswered.