The latest figures from police forces around England and Wales provide some alarming insights into just how widespread under-18 sexual offenses have become in the country. Reports suggest that there has been a significant rise in children who commit such crimes, with as large as a 7.6% increase in child sexual abuse offenses reported in 2022 compared to the previous year. Notably, young people who are taking nude images of themselves and other underage children are exacerbating this trend, according to law enforcement experts.
Senior officers attribute the increase in exploitation cases to mobile phone ownership, and easy access to hardcore pornography. The police Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Program analyzed the figures and established that in more than 50% of all reported child abuse incidents, the persons potentially responsible were under 18. The senior officers identified conduct referred to as “exploratory behavior” by under-18s, which they unknowingly practice and can be illegal, including incidences of rape offenses.
According to Ian Critchley, who heads the National Police Chiefs Council that tackles child abuse, the figures indicate a pressing need for parents to engage in “uncomfortable conversations” with their children concerning the issue. The study is a first of its kind conducted by the police in the region, where it analyzed data containing all the 42 police forces in Wales and England.
While the data shows that around a third of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases still originate from within families, there is also a “growing and concerning trend” where children themselves are increasingly becoming the perpetrators of such crimes, including rape and sexual assault. Indecent images of children, taken by children who may have been coerced or have given their agreement, were also evident in the data. Such images, once distributed on pornographic platforms, could potentially lead to severe emotional and mental trauma for the parties involved.
The NPCC believes the exposure to violent, abusive, or illegal pornography has contributed to the growth in teenage perpetrators, with young men increasingly growing up “three clicks away” from exposure to sexual abuse. They have also urged the government to consider tighter legislation to regulate access to pornography, with Susie Hargreaves, CEO of the anti-abuse charity, the Internet Watch Foundation, adding that parents must always supervise younger children’s internet activities
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