Child sex abuse convictions rise 60% in six years

Increase attributed to better detection and raised awareness, but child protection groups say it remains an under-reported crime The number of people convicted of sex offences on children under 16 in England and Wales has increased by nearly 60% in six years. The BBC said a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice found that 1,363 people were convicted in 2005, while in 2010 it was 2,135. The increase is being attributed to better detection and raised awareness, it said. Child protection groups say the number is relatively small and it remains an under-reported crime. The head of strategy and development at the NSPCC, Lisa Harker, said: “It’s difficult to tell if these figures indicate an increase in the number of sex offences being committed against children. “It may be that more people – adults and children – are becoming aware of abuse and so are reporting cases to the police and other authorities. “Nevertheless it’s still a relatively small number of convictions considering child sex abuse is a big problem.” The chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Peter Davies, said: “It is good news as it’s a good indicator that police services and others are getting their act together.” He said authorities did not use conviction numbers as a primary measure of success because it was an under-reported crime and hard to prosecute as there tended to be few witnesses. Child protection Children Crime guardian.co.uk

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