A total of 449 sex offences were committed in the past year against babies before they reached their first birthday according to the NSPCC
UK police forces recorded 73,518 crimes, including rape, online grooming and sexual assault against children in 2019/20, similar to the 73,379 the previous year, but up by 57% from 46,738 in 2014/15.
The figures come from 44 of the 45 police forces across Britain, but do not include Greater Manchester Police, which did not provide information.
NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said the “crisis of child sexual abuse is not going away”, adding that “behind these figures are thousands of children and young people who have reported crimes that can have a devastating impact on their lives”.
The NSPCC is calling for the government to publish its strategy to tackle child sexual abuse announced by then home secretary Sajid Javid in June last year, and for departments, including the Home Office, Department of Education and Ministry of Justice, to join up efforts to prevent abuse.
Safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins said: “We have hosted the Hidden Harms summit, collaborated with Five Eyes partners and convened a global conference to drive the response as well as invested in law enforcement and boosted funds to charities, including the NSPCC which received £1.6m towards its helpline.
“It is right that we prioritised children at an immediate risk during the pandemic and are now working towards publishing our first of its kind national strategy on tackling all forms of child sexual abuse by the end of this year.”
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
