Grooming fears spark 33% rise in calls to Childline

SOARING numbers of children are seeking help because of concerns that they are being sexually exploited.

Figures show that 3,122 youngsters contacted Childline for counselling in the past year – a rate of eight a day – amid an increase in grooming.

This was a rise of 33 per cent on the previous year, when there were 2,340 calls to the NSPCC’s roundthe-clock helpline.

The charity warned predatory adults are using devious techniques to lure youngsters into sexual activity, such as offering them gifts, money or affection.

The abuse can include grooming, trafficking, sexual harassment, sexually explicit activities online or producing vile images.

Most young people worried about this form of sexual abuse were being targeted on the internet, fuelling calls for technology giants to do more to tackle the problem.

Opportunities for perverts to groom children have increased with the rise of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Counsellors said young people often did not recognise they were being groomed, sometimes believing they were in a relationship with someone they had met online. Many had no proof of who they were actually talking to.

One girl told Childline: ‘I was playing a game online and started talking to someone who asked me to send them rude pictures.

‘They said they were my age and after talking for a while I sent them some pictures, but now they’re blackmailing me and threatening to show everyone if I don’t carry on. I feel really stupid and I’m scared about what will happen.’

The figures showed girls were more likely than boys to receive counselling through Childline about sexual exploitation. The age groups most likely to seek help amid fears that they were being groomed for abuse were 12 to 15-year-olds.

The NSPCC said the rise highlighted the importance of Childline. The charity’s Light Up Christmas For Children campaign is aiming to raise funds for the service. Its counsellors can currently respond only to three out of four children who need help because of growing demand.