UK faces ‘crisis’ of child-on-child sex abuse – with ‘fundamental shift’ in offending

Children sexually abusing other children has become a “crisis” in the UK, experts have told Sky News.

This report contains details you may find distressing.

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) says there has been a pronounced rise in child-on-child abuse – and data for group-based offending shows it is now more prevalent than incidents involving grooming gangs.

The “shocking” statistics show there has been a “fundamental shift” in offending, NAPAC chief executive Gabrielle Shaw told Sky News.

Latest child sexual abuse and exploitation crime figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) for England and Wales show that, where age was recorded, 52% of all perpetrators were between the ages of 10-17.

Some 41% of these relate to indecent images of children.

Most of these nude images are taken by teenagers of themselves before they are shared with a partner as part of “experimental” behaviour.

But at the other end of the offending scale, 17% of sexual crimes that are committed against children by other children are rape offences.

Richard Fewkes, director of NPCC’s child sexual exploitation taskforce, warns that consensual exchanging of intimate images can end up in coercion and blackmail, with easy access to violent pornography partly behind this disturbing trend in children abusing children.

“For a generation of boys, in particular, then very often they see that as normal behaviour,” he told Sky News. “They act it out, with girls.”

Teenagers sharing indecent images of each other may be recorded as crimes due to the legal age of consent, according to Richard Fewkes.

Inside the call centre on the frontline

Warning: This section contains references to child sexual abuse

There’s a shrill ring as the first call of the day comes in. “You’re through to someone you can talk to.”

We’ve been given exclusive access to NAPAC’s helpline in Stockport, where call handlers speak to victims who have suffered all types of abuse.

The man who has called the helpline was so badly beaten as a child by his father that he was left with broken bones.

The victim is now having to care for his elderly father, triggering painful memories.

“He just wanted that safe space,” says call handler Claire Tong.

“He said, ‘Thank god there’s people like you that I can talk to’.”

NAPAC’s support service hears from around 10,000 victims every year – and the organisation also works with police in responding to group-based sexual offending.

Through our day at the helpline, we get a grim snapshot into the lives of ordinary people across the UK who have suffered unimaginable pain.

Children ritually abused to ‘raise demon’

Sam Booth has worked at NAPAC for a decade, first as a volunteer and now as a supervisor.

She shows me the themes of last week’s calls written on a whiteboard and one stands out – ritual abuse.

“Satanic ritual abuse is abuse by a group of people,” Sam says.

“They have robes on with hoods. They could be a child or a teenager, they could be ritually, sexually abused ….to raise some kind of demon.”

Sam says multiple people have called, triggered by the smell of soil. As children, they had been buried to the point of death before being revived.

Victims can be signposted to other services, for example if they want to pursue legal action or therapy.

Support can mean difference between life and death

Among those to have been helped by NAPAC is Sadie, who was sexually abused by her biological father when she was a young child.

Sadie, not her real name, says her childhood memories are “the constant feeling of being dissociated from your body, always having stomach aches, feeling unclean”.

Sadie’s email to NAPAC, fully disclosing the abuse for the first time, was the crucial step towards getting direct support.

For some victims, their call could be the difference between life and death.

Holly Aisbett, who has worked for NAPAC for three years, says a conversation that stands out to her was with a suicidal woman calling from a bridge.

“We were probably on the phone for about an hour; she did eventually tell us her location,” says Holly.

“We reported it to the police, we don’t often do that, but obviously when things escalate, we do have a duty of care.”

All the NAPAC staff we spoke to admit to being impacted by challenging calls every day. But they continue to handle them with empathy.

“You get a really good feeling when you get a caller talking to you about something they’ve never told anyone,” says Sam.

“You feel privileged that they’re able to talk to you.”

Mr Fewkes said there is no easy solution to the crisis of children abusing children, but he believes better education for parents and young people is a crucial step in the right direction.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are taking forward a wide range of actions to help prevent child sexual abuse, bring more offenders to justice, and improve the support available to victims and survivors.

“A review is currently underway to look at how best to support school staff in handling cases of child sexual abuse. This sits alongside increased funding for the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works to prevent harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people.”

For NAPAC support, call 0808 801 0331 or email support@napac.org.uk