Reported child sex crimes up 400% in South Yorkshire
The rise is being put down to more people reporting crimes as a result of the Rotherham abuse scandal.
The number of reported child sex offences in South Yorkshire's gone up by over 400% in the last 3 years.
The latest crime figures show our county's seen the biggest increase in the region - it's being put down to the high profile nature of the Rotherham abuse scandal leading to more victims reporting crimes.
The number of sexual offences in South Yorkshire towards under 16s has gone up by 454% since 2012/2013.
Emma Jackson's a survivor of the Rotherham abuse scandal - she says the experiences of her and others have made other victims more confident to seek help:
"The results that have happened with recent court cases - the sentences have actually reflected the seriousness of the crimes and I think that has filled a lot of people with hope. They know that they can trust the police - they can go forward and something will be done. It'll be acted upon."
"It is happening - we're never going to get away from the fact that it is happening. I think it's about trying to take control of it and get a handle on it so that it can be stopped and that when it does happen, people receive the right help."
The figures also show there's been a 253% increase in rapes of under 16s in our county.
Although Emma's welcomed more victims reporting crimes - she says the fight to tackle CSE must continue, and authorities must keep up with the changing methods of perpetrators:
"The figures do show that things are happening - perpetrators are still circulating - more awareness needs raising and not only that but we need to look at how we work with potential perpetrators and what's out there for them."
"It's about staying on top of what's happening - what young people are using, such as social media - going along with them and not being 3 months behind them - perpetrators aren't 3 months behind where young people go."
An NSPCC spokesman said:
"These are grim figures which show that the number of sex offences has more than doubled in the last five years, with a significant number of victims being children. Recent investigations have exposed a dark underbelly of abuse that went on for far too long with the impact only now becoming tragically clear."
“Sexual abuse has a devastating impact on a child, and we urge all victims to come forward as soon as possible so they can get the support they need and offenders can be brought to justice. Any child who has been a victim can always call Childline on 0800 1111."