Six child sex offences recorded every day in NI - call to end the ‘crisis of abuse’

The charity has called for urgent action to address the “crisis of abuse”.

Figures from the PSNI obtained by NSPCC Northern Ireland reveal that in 2019/2020, there were 2,082 recorded offences against children under 18 years of age – up 37% in the five years since 2014/15.

Across the UK, there were 73,518 recorded offences including rape, online grooming and sexual assault against children in the UK in 2019/20 – up 57% in the five years since 2014/15.

A total of 44 out of 45 police forces across the UK provided the NSPCC with the latest data on sexual offences against under 18s. The PSNI provided data to NSPCC Northern Ireland directly.

The charity said the figures on child sexual abuse show the need for the government to deal with the “hidden harms” of the pandemic and ensure support for children who have experienced sexual abuse is embedded in recovery planning.

It said this should include the expedient establishment of a cross-departmental strategic framework to support a collaborative response to child sexual abuse in Northern Ireland as recommended by the Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI).

The NSPCC is also calling for the needs of children and young people to be at the centre of how authorities respond to child sexual abuse, with a focus on effective prevention and victims having access to timely and specialist support.

NSPCC Chief Executive 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.

“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.”

The call comes as an NSPCC report found contacts from young people to Childline about sexual abuse in the family tripled during lockdown. The report shows there were an average of 23 contacts to Childline per week about child sexual abuse, up threefold since March 23 when lockdown was announced.