Recorded sexual offences against children reaches all-time high nationally with 61% rise in Nottinghamshire, NSPCC data reveals

Recorded sexual offences against children have reached an all-time high nationally, data obtained by the NSPCC has revealed.

There were 76,204 recorded offences including rape, grooming and sexual assault against children in the UK in 2018-19 ­— an average of one every seven minutes.

In Nottinghamshire, police recorded a 61% rise in sexual offences against children over the last four years, with 1,519 being recorded in 2018-19, compared to 942 in 2014-15.

The number of sexual offences recorded against children in Nottinghamshire in 2014-15 was 942. It was 1,092 in 2015-16, 1,308 in 2016-17 and 1,597 in 2018-19.

Analysis of the new data reveals that where an age for the victim was provided, 16,773 offences were recorded nationally against children aged ten and under, with 341 of the offences against babies under the age of one.

Children who suffered sexual abuse will often need extensive support and the NSPCC has called for a radical change in how this support is delivered across the country.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “Record numbers of child sexual offences means we are facing a nationwide crisis in the help available for tens of thousands of children.

“These children are bravely disclosing what happened to them but in too many cases there is not enough timely, joined up and child-friendly support. Instead they are shunted from overstretched service to service.

“We need a radical rethink in the way we help these young people, otherwise they could struggle for the rest of their lives with long term, deep seated trauma.”

The charity has called for the provision of specialised services around the country, with an emphasis on early joined-up support from police, local NHS services, children’s services and advocacy for children who have experienced sexual abuse, offered in child-friendly spaces.

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