CHILD SEX ABUSE: AN OVERWHELMINGLY MALE CRIME
CHILD sex offenders are nearly 70 times more likely to be men than women. New Ministry of Justice figures reveal that 3,186 men were sent to prison for child sexual abuse offences in 2017.
That is 66 times as many as the 48 women who were also sentenced for similar crimes that year.
Some 529 offenders - including two women - were sentenced to up to 12 months in prison last year.
There were 1,829 people sentenced to between one and five years behind bars, 33 of whom were women.
There were 553 men and 10 women sent away for between five and 10 years.
A further 290 men and three women were handed a sentence of more than 10 years but less than life behind bars for their crimes.
A total of 20 men were given life sentences for child sexual abuse offences.
The 3,394 people in total who were sentenced to time behind bars in 2017 is the highest figure on record.
It’s up from 3,060 the previous year and 2,428 in 2010, when modern records began.
The rising number of people being sent away for these crimes does not necessarily reflect more crimes taking place, however. Instead, it could be that more victims feel able to contact the police. A spokesperson for charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation said: “One is left with the very clear sense that there is something obvious and disturbing about the connection between masculinity and sex crimes. “A male view of entitlement, aggressive sexual conduct, and objectification of the powerless seem to be driving it.”
“Sentencing convicted offenders is only part of the solution.
“First they need to be reported and then they need to be convicted. But around 80% of child sexual abuse is not reported, and around 95% of reported child sexual abuse is not convicted.
“That’s why it’s so important to try to prevent child sexual abuse from happening in the first place.
“Even from primary school ages, it’s key to change the way boys think about entitlement, and give advice to parents about how they can protect their own children. “We need to recognise where the risks lie - 90% of children who are sexually abused are abused by someone they already know or live with.” A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences, including life imprisonment for the worst offenders. “However, sentencing decisions are for the independent judiciary.”