Child Sex Abuse Figures Could Be Higher Than Reported
It's believed child sexual abuse is far more widespread in the North East than crime figures suggest.
The number of children being sexually abused across the North East could be much higher than is being reported.
The Children's Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, says only one in eight victims comes forward.
Around 50,000 cases were reported in the UK for the two years up to March last year, but the comissioner believes there could have been up to 450,000.
Wendy Shepherd is Project Manager of Barnardo's Sexual Exploitation programme across the North East.
She told TFM online grooming is one of the biggest challenges charities like theirs have to tackle, as well as getting more children to come forward.
She said: "The power balance anyway for them is not equal or fair.
"They are children and they have powerful parents and brothers and sisters, who may be older.
"So they're very easily silenced and very easily controlled and their self-esteem is very low."