Young sex offenders ‘not beyond help’

THOUSANDS of under-18s are accused of sexually abusing other children — but the true figure could be even higher, shock figures have revealed.

The NSPCC in Manchester is helping to turn around harmful sexual behaviour in children and support victims of abuse after the findings obtained by the charity under the Freedom of Information Act show that over 8,000 under-18s were accused of sexual offences against other children in the last two years.

However, some police forces were not able to provide the figures so it is feared the real number is much higher.

Greater Manchester Police said they had recorded 616 cases of under-18s accused of sexual offences against other children over the last two years.

Most victims knew their alleged abuser, with some of the most common crimes being teenage boys offending against female acquaintances.

The NSPCC’s harmful sexual behaviour service in Manchester — Turn the Page — is proving to be a success in helping young offenders change their behaviour.

Bernadette Oxley, regional head of service for the NSPCC in the North-West, said: “It’s deeply concerning that such a lot of children are committing sexual offences including serious assaults and rape.

“For very young children, such as those of primary school age or younger, we have to explore and understand the environment in which they are growing up in that has led to them behaving in this way.

“Prevention has to be the key and that is recognising warning signs early and taking swift action. It could be that they have seen sexual activity that they are just too young to understand and are copying what they’ve seen.

“But these children are not beyond help. If we act quickly and children receive support such as that provided by the NSPCC’s Turn the Page service we can stop them becoming adult sex offenders. And, most importantly, their victims need support to overcome what has happened to them.”
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