Child Sex Offences Are Soaring
Police in Greater Manchester are recording 5 cases of child abuse every day.
The number of sexual offences against children recorded by police in Greater Manchester soared by 111 per cent last year.
Latest figures from Greater Manchester Police show 1825 recorded sex offences against children which is up from 864 in 2012-13
The NSPCC says it’s not clear why the number of offences has risen so dramatically. Greater awareness may be giving more victims the courage to come forward, including those reporting historical cases, or police forces have improved their recording methods.
Last year, the NSPCC helpline received over 320 contacts from people across the Greater Manchester Police Force Area about sexual abuse, over 200 of which were so serious that they were referred on immediately to the police or children’s services3.
NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless said: “These figures are disturbing and clearly illustrate child sexual abuse is a continuing and widespread problem that needs urgent action. But we know this is still only a fraction of the true number of victims because some endure an agonising wait of many years before telling anyone - and others never reveal what has happened to them.