Calls to helpline about child sexual abuse almost doubles in West Midlands

Over 26,000 people in the West Midlands sought advice or support via Stop It Now UK.

Author: Molly HookingsPublished 7th Mar 2023

An anonymous helpline, that offers support and advice to people worried about their own or someone else's behaviour, says figures have almost doubled in the last 12 months.

Stop It Now! is urging men to be careful of their pornography viewing habits, as insights show that developing an interest in more extreme porn is a common pathway into online offending against children.

26,180 people in West Midlands sought advice or support via its online self-help or confidential helpline in 2022. This is a 93% increase on the previous year.

Dr Alexandra Bailey is a forensic psychologist at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation - the charity behind the helpline. She said: “People who offend online come from all backgrounds and walks of life and don’t conform to stereotypes. This means that everyone needs to know the risks and what to do if you’re worried about your own or someone else’s online behaviour."

"People find themselves in dark places that they never expected to be."

The director of Stop It Now! Donald Findlater said: “Lots of people who view legal adult pornography might be surprised by what we’re saying, and they might think that anyone viewing sexual images of under-18s must be a paedophile, but our experience over many years tells a different story. A story where people find themselves in dark places that they never expected to be, doing things they never expected to do."

New research from the charity shows, nationally, nearly a third (31%) of men aged 35 and under struggle to determine the legality of sexual content online - a worrying finding as nearly half (49%) agree that watching too much pornography can lead to watching more extreme or illegal content online.

As men are nine times more likely to view pornography than women, it makes them more at risk of encountering illegal content online.

Up to 850,000 people pose a sexual abuse risk to children

Figures from The National Crime Agency also estimate there are between 550,000 and 850,000 people who pose a sexual abuse risk to children.

The consumer research also showed that 70% of respondents across the UK would encourage a friend or family member to seek help if they believed they were looking at sexual images/videos of children.

Around a quarter of people who call the Stop It Now! helpline nationwide do so because they are concerned about another adult’s sexual behaviour involving children.

Mr Findlater added: "Our message to anyone on that path, or already offending, is that these pictures and videos cause huge harm to the children in them. And watching them has massive consequences for the viewer, including possible arrest, jail, job loss, and family breakdown.

"But it isn’t too late to stop. The thousands of men who call us after being arrested tell us they wish they’d made a change and stopped sooner. Many felt they were in a cycle they couldn’t break and we helped them find a way out - to stop and to stay stopped."

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