UK: 449 Babies Sexually Abused in Past Year, Child Sex Crimes up 57 Per Cent in Five Years

Sexual crimes against children in the United Kingdom are up 57 per cent over five years ago, with a shocking 449 babies sexually abused, according to figures revealed by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

British police forces recorded 73,518 sexual offences against children in 2019/20, including rape, online grooming, and sexual assault, meaning that there was an average of 200 crimes against children per day.

The NSPCC report found that girls were four times as likely to be victims as boys.

There were 8,000 sexual crimes committed against 14-year-olds — the highest of any specific age — and 12,374 committed against children under the age of ten. Most disturbingly, some 449 sex crime were recorded against babies that had yet to reach their first birthday.

The figures are likely to be much higher in reality, however, as the Greater Manchester Police force failed to provide data for the report.

The CEO of the NSPCC, Peter Wanless said: “The crisis of child sexual abuse is not going away and behind these figures are thousands of children and young people who have reported crimes that can have a devastating impact on their lives.”

“Urgent action is needed to prevent abuse and to ensure children are supported to recover when they bravely speak out,” Wanless added.

“We need concerted leadership from governments across the UK to implement strategies on tackling child sexual abuse that put the experiences and needs of children at their heart and are effective in preventing abuse and helping young people recover,” he concluded.

Victoria Atkins, the safeguarding minister for the British government, said that the figures of sexual abuse against children are “truly sickening”, saying: “The government has made it a priority to lead the global effort to tackle this crime, safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.”

“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,” Atkins said, per Sky News.

“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,” she said.

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