Reports of boy rapes doubled, cops say
The number of reported rapes of young boys in Scotland has almost doubled in five months.
Police Scotland data shows that between April and September there were 24 reported rapes of boys under the age of 13, compared with 14 during the same period last year.
There were 39 reported rapes of males over the age of 16.
According to Police Scotland’s quarter two performance report, sexual crime rose by
1.7 per cent, or 127 crimes, compared with last year.
It was also up by six per cent, 423 crimes, compared with the five-year average.
The drivers of the increase were sexual exposure, coercing a person into being present or looking at sexual activity and disclosure of an intimate image.
Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) said that between three and 13 per cent of boys have experienced sexual abuse as children.
According to the charity, many men do not report what has happened to them to police – with fewer than one in five reported – so recorded crimes are only a small percentage of actual occurrence rates.
DS Stevie Bertram, of Police Scotland, said: “We know it can be extremely difficult to report a crime of this nature and these figures show there is an increased confidence in victims coming forward to police.
“We continue to work with partners to educate children about these types of crimes and how to report them.
“Child protection investigations are a multi-agency driven process, with the victim’s welfare and needs at the heart of it.
“For victims of rape over the age of 16, we will make formal referrals to Rape Crisis Scotland as well as signposting victims to the relevant partner agencies in their area.”