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Show captionIan Critchley, the NPCC lead for child protection, said sexual
offences were predominantly committed by boys against girls, ‘exacerbated by the
accessibility of violent pornography’ on smartphones. Photograph: sankai/Getty
Images
Child protection


CHILDREN NOW ‘BIGGEST PERPETRATORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST CHILDREN’

Police data shows 52% of alleged offenders in England and Wales are minors – a
situation exacerbated by ‘accessibility of violent porn’

Vikram Dodd
Tue 9 Jan 2024 19.01 EST
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Boys are watching violent porn on their smartphones then going on to attack
girls, police have said, as new data showed children are now the biggest
perpetrators of sexual abuse against other children.

Police data shows there has been a quadrupling of sexual offences against
children, in what officers say is the most authoritative analysis of offending
against youngsters.

The report from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the offending by
adults against children was usually more serious, but said they were alarmed by
the growth of sexual offending by those aged 17 or under.

Ad


In one case a child of four was referred to police after allegedly using a
smartphone to upload an indecent image of a sibling. Police declined to give any
more details.

In 2022 a total of 107,000 reports were made to police in England and Wales
alleging sexual offences against children, ranging from rapes and, in a quarter
of cases, to the making and sharing of indecent images.

The NPCC said 52% of alleged offenders were children, compared with around one
third a decade ago.

Police received reports of 14,800 rapes and sexual assaults against children
aged 10 to 17 where the suspect was classed as a child, the overwhelming
majority being boys.

Ian Critchley, the NPCC lead for child protection, said: “This is predominantly
a gender-based crime of boys committing offences against girls.



“I think that is being exacerbated by the accessibility of violent pornography
and the ease with which violent pornography is accessible to boys and,
therefore, a perception that is [normal] behaviour, and that person can carry
out that behaviour that they are seeing online in the most violent way against
other peers as well.

“Clearly the accessibility to smartphones has just rocketed, not just in
relation to 11- to 16-year-olds, but in relation to under-10s as well. That
accessibility has really exacerbated that and I think this is a debate that does
need to be had in our society.”

A third of attacks take place within the family, the most common setting for
abuse, and eight out of 10 victims knew their attacker.

Police said it is estimated as few as one in six offences are reported to them.



Critchley said the clear-up rate – where someone is charged or cautioned – was
12% where a child is physically attacked and 11% for indecent images offences.
The clear-up rate for child-on-child attacks is 15% for sexual assault and 12%
for rape.

He said offences involving AI were already being reported to police. These
include “nudification” where the photo of a person – usually female – is
digitally stripped of clothing to make it appear as if they are naked.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) announced
it was increasing the capacity and raising awareness of its helpline through
which adults can report suspicions about child abuse. The charity last month
said it was taking 14 months for a defendant in a child abuse case to stand
trial after being charged, placing a greater strain on victims.



Wendy Hart, the deputy director for child sexual abuse at the National Crime
Agency, said about 830,000 adults in the United Kingdom are estimated to pose a
danger to children. “The severity of offending has increased, as have the
complexities faced by law enforcement in tackling it,” she added.

“We are now seeing hyperrealistic images and videos of abuse being created using
artificial intelligence, for example, while the rollout of end-to-end encryption
by technology platforms makes it a lot more difficult for us to protect
children.”


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WELL, 2023 DIDN’T EXACTLY GO TO PLAN, DID IT?

Here in the UK, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had promised us a government of
stability and competence – not forgetting professionalism, integrity and
accountability – after the rollercoaster ride of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Remember Liz? These days she seems like a long forgotten comedy act. Instead,
Sunak took us even further through the looking-glass into the Conservative
psychodrama. 



Elsewhere, the picture has been no better. In the US, Donald Trump is now many
people’s favourite to become president again. In Ukraine, the war has dragged on
with no end in sight. The danger of the rest of the world getting battle fatigue
and losing interest all too apparent. Then there is the war in the Middle East
and not forgetting the climate crisis …



But a new year brings new hope. There are elections in many countries, including
the UK and the US. We have to believe in change. That something better is
possible. The Guardian will continue to cover events from all over the world and
our reporting now feels especially important. But running a news gathering
organisation doesn’t come cheap. 



So this year, I am asking you – if you can afford it – to give money. Well, not
to me personally – though you can if you like – but to the Guardian. By
supporting the Guardian from just €2 per month, we will be able to continue our
mission to pursue the truth in all corners of the world.



With your help, we can make our journalism free to everyone. You won’t ever find
any of our news reports or comment pieces tucked away behind a paywall. We
couldn’t do this without you. Unlike our politicians, when we say we are in this
together we mean it.



Happy new year!



John Crace,



Guardian columnist




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Topics
 * Child protection

 * Internet safety
 * Police
 * Sexual violence
 * Pornography
 * Children
 * news

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