5,000 girls under 13 were victims of rape last year

ALMOST 12,000 girls aged under 16 were raped last year, shocking figures reveal.

Of the 49,909 rapes of females of all ages, about 23 per cent were of children.

According to the figures, nearly 5,000 of the victims were under 13.

But child charities have warned the true number is now likely to be even higher, saying lockdown has removed many of the usual safeguards.

MPS suggested the rise of extreme pornography could be a cause.

The figures were released by the UK Statistics Authority and covered reported rapes in England andwales in 2019.

A separate report, also released by the authority, showed that between March 2016 and March 2018 more than one in 10 females aged 16 to 19 surveyed as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales said they had been a victim of rape or sexual assault.

The alarming figures were given to Jackie Doyle-price, the Tory MP for Thurrock, Essex, in response to a Parliamentary question she submitted about sex attacks on young women and children.

This came after fears violent sex attacks on schoolgirls are on the rise due to extreme pornography online.

Ms Doyle-price said: “My intention by asking the question was because I have a strong feeling that rape and sexual violence is on the rise and becoming normalised in schools and among young people.

“I believe it is because more vile pornography is much more accessible, even on phones as they walk about.

“The social media companies need to do more to take this stuff down and we need to help girls get better at looking after themselves to empower them to control their own destiny and say no.

“We need zero tolerance to sexually aggressive behaviour in schools, because it is becoming too normalised and going unreported.” Her comments come as charities warned vulnerable children, who would normally be better protected by safeguarding measures, were at risk of abuse during the lockdown.

The Children’s Society, together with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, has now launched a Know, Look, Act campaign to raise awareness among neighbours and professionals of what to look out for to spot signs of abuse when they visit people’s homes.

James Simmonds-read, from the Society, said: “It’s a real worry child abuse could be going under the radar right now. We can all play a vital role in protecting vulnerable children, which is why we are urging anyone with concerns – be it a pizza delivery driver, gas engineer or a worried neighbour – to take responsibility and report them.”

‘Rape and sexual violence is on the rise and becoming normalised among young people’