The NSPCC has called for urgent action to help the thousands of child victims in Scotland
Recorded sexual offences against children have reached an all-time high, data obtained by the NSPCC has revealed.
In Scotland, there were 5,325 recorded offences including rape, grooming and sexual assault against children in 2018/19. Across the UK, in the same period, there were 76,204 of these offences – an average of one every seven minutes.
Children who suffered sexual abuse will often need extensive support but overstretched services are failing to keep pace with demand, and the NSPCC is calling for a radical reshaping of how this support is delivered across the country.
A total of 44 out of 45 police forces across the UK provided the NSPCC with the latest data on sexual offences against under 18s after a Freedom of Information request.
Matt Forde, head of NSPCC Scotland, said: “Record numbers of child sexual offences means we are facing a nationwide crisis in the help available for tens of thousands of children.
“These children are bravely disclosing what happened to them but in too many cases there is not enough timely, joined up and child-friendly support. Instead they are shunted from overstretched service to service.
“We need a radical rethink in the way we help these young people, otherwise they could struggle for the rest of their lives with long term, deep seated trauma.”
The charity is calling for the provision of specialised services around the country, with an emphasis on early joined up support from police, local NHS services, children’s services and advocacy for children who have experienced sexual abuse, offered in child-friendly spaces.
A Scottish Court Service review of support for vulnerable witnesses first recommended a ‘one-stop-shop’ model - which is a child-centred service – in 2017. This is based on the Scandinavian Barnahus model, which is a child friendly centre for victims of abuse that evolved in Nordic countries. These centres integrate medical, therapeutic and justice interventions to help victims of abuse on the road to recovery. However, there have been no improvements in provision since then and Scotland needs to take urgent action to improve services for children who have experienced sexual abuse.
Research by NSPCC Scotland, in 2017, showed that despite a greater spotlight on child sexual abuse over the past decade and several high-profile abuse cases reaching the courts, access to recovery services remains patchy and fragmented.
NSPCC’s Letting the Future In service provides therapeutic support for children who have been sexually abused. Young people aged eight to 17-years-old who used the service showed a significant reduction in psychological and behavioural problems.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent crime which has a devastating impact on victims.
"Working closely with a range of organisations, we have taken steps, including through our national action plan, to prevent and strengthen our response.
"Initiatives include the development of Scottish standards for the Barnahus concept which will form a framework for a child-centred approach to delivering justice, care and recovery for children who have experienced trauma.
"We are driving forward improvements in services for adults and children who have experienced rape and sexual assault.”
