EXCLUSIVE: 184 reports of children sexually assaulting other children in Cumbrian schools in past 5 years
It comes after we submitted an FOI to Cumbria Police
Our exclusive investigation has uncovered an alarming number of children sexually assaulting other children on school grounds, as we reveal new figures from police forces across England show a sharp increase in reports over the last five years.
This so-called 'peer on peer' abuse involves children aged 16 years or younger perpetrating sexual assaults against other children in their class, year group or wider school.
The numbers have been described by the charity Victim Services as 'alarming but not surprising.' Ben Donagh is their children and young person's lead and told us 'peer on peer' sexual assaults in schools make up around 25% of his team's case load.
"We are seeing an increase in this kind of peer on peer assault and abuse. We're seeing a lot of young people being harmed by someone who is either in the same year group or the same class as them at school.
"I think there is potential for these numbers to be much higher than the records show. Young people don't always know who to tell or how to talk about what's happened. They could fear repercussions, they might worry about not being believed. It's really important for young people to know that it's never their fault.
"Knowing the person and seeing them regularly in school can have a massive impact on the victim coming forward. It can definitely worsen that fear of not being believed, but they also have a daily reminder. When it's someone from school, they're likely to see them again on a daily basis after it's happened. so it reinforces that prolonged impact."
More than 50,000 people have anonymously shared their experiences of sexual abuse on a website called Everyone's Invited, a site intended as a safe space for survivors of sexual assault to begin the healing process by disclosing what has happened to them.
I was sexually assaulted at school
The following quotes have been taken from the Everyone's Invited website.
- "I was sexually and physically assaulted repeatedly by a class mate at the age of 13. The school I attended was fully aware of the situation after me reporting it to the police but left me in classes with my abuser for over a year before I had to drop out as I couldn’t take it anymore. No one should have to be forced to be around someone who caused them such mental trauma just to try and get an education. They did not try to step in, stop bullying, and actively tried to stop me from seeking counselling in school."
- "Numerous boys have rubbed against my thighs, put their hand up my skirt or touched me unconsensually, on multiple occasions I’ve been threatened with sexual assault by my male peers. I’ve been harassed and threatened for nudes and have been the topic many sexual jokes amongst a lot of the male students and teachers. This has been going on since year 7, I’m now in year 10. when I told the school support team they told me to get my grades up."
- "At the age of 11 we had library class at school where we had to sit silently at a long table and read. A certain male student would sit next to me and put his hand up my skirt and over my pants. The library teacher was renowned for discipline and you weren’t allowed to speak. This silenced me every day for a whole year as he continued his assaults."
Soma Sara is the founder and CEO of Everyone's Invited and told us it's vital that victim's feel heard: "It's crucial that we have discussions about these really challenging topics. We need to be having conversations about sex, intimacy, rape culture, sexual violence and digital abuse because these topics are stigmatised.
"When they're stigmatised it means that when a survivor experiences them; they're not able to come forward and they end up suffering in silence. It’s a crucial step towards recovery, towards healing and towards moving forward when you're able to speak out and articulate your experience and recognise the impact and that it's had on you.
WATCH: Soma Sara from Everyone's Invited discusses child-to-child sexual abuse
"Sexual assault can be completely transformative to an individual's life, especially if it happens in these early developmental stages when you're vulnerable, your brain is forming and you're forming your first relationships.
"If your first intimate and sexual experiences are defined by abuse and coercion, this can have a profound impact and leave a lasting legacy of trauma on one's life. It can affect mental health, sense of self, confidence, sense of respect, ability to have relationships, it can cause suicidal ideation, eating disorders and can completely transform someone's life especially when it happens in these vulnerable years."
What do I do if I think I may have been affected?
Police tell us they take offences of this nature very seriously and are developing more specialist officers and staff to support victims in this area.
Ian Critchley is the National Police Chief's Council lead for child protection, he's urging victims to find the courage to come forward: "I totally understand the concerns that young people may have about reporting this. They're often scared and concerned about the consequences for them. It should never be accepted - there are people there to help.
"Schools are really developing their approach to this now with pastoral care. So whether it's a parent, someone in a pastoral role in school, or direct to police, I urge people who have been offended against to please reach out. There is help and there is light in what must be a very difficult and dark place. Please reach out and it will be dealt with in a very caring and compassionate way.
A 2020 survey by the Victims Commissioner suggests that whilst legal justice is one of the end results that victims hope for, the most important outcome is to feel believed and supported.
Critchley continued: "We work very hard with our partners to make sure that when someone does come forward, they will be believed and they will be trusted and dealt with in the most appropriate way. There is a way out of the darkness that they are in based on the appalling offences that have been committed against them.
"Please don't suffer in silence, whether you report to police, to one of the brilliant charities that we work with, or someone who is trusted around you - Please take that step because once you've done that we can start helping you to move forward. We can never take away the offence that has been committed but we can help you with the path forward. There is hope and there is a service there that really does truly care."
What can parents do?
Parents will understandably be curious to know how they can talk to their children about incidents and behaviours their child may be experiencing or witnessing at school.
Dr Matthew Round is a former school deputy head of pastoral and is currently a researcher in sex education, safeguarding, educational leadership and management at the University of Portsmouth.
He says: "It's about having an open dialogue and being really honest and transparent with your children. The exposure that children get to the rich tapestry of the world around us through the device in the palm of their hand means they're not as sheltered as they were 10 to 15 years ago.
"Try having a conversation about what you're watching on TV together. If there are instances of abusive or coercive behaviours on a film that you're watching, ask them about why they don't think that's okay and what it is that makes them feel uncomfortable. Trying to tease out those conversations can be really quite powerful.
"If you suddenly sit down with your teenage child and tell them you're going to have a really complicated conversation about sexual abuse, the barriers are likely to go up. So if you start small and open up those passages of dialogue you're more likely to get a longer term response from them.
Dr Round told us conversations about consent are 'an essential component of almost every aspect of school work' and should also be weaved in to home life wherever possible: "There needs to be a very clear, consistent and continual conversation about consent. It's not just about sexual activity, it's about relationship activity too. It's about what feels uncomfortable and what you want to do; from holding hands, to having a kiss with your boyfriend, all the way up to having an engaged sexual relationship with your consensual sexual partner.
"There needs to be a clear framework of conversations happening so that everybody knows what is and isn't okay. Consent can mean different things to different people, and equally there are different types of consent: Informed consent, implied consent and what those things look like in different situations can be quite nuanced too."
Where else can I talk about my experience of sex attacks in school?
If you've been affected by any of the content of this article, you can report incidents to your local police force or safeguarding teams within your school.
You can also access alternative support here:
Victims of sexual assault can speak to the teams at Victim Support or Childline.
Find out more about the Everyone's Invited project here.