NSPCC launches campaign to keep Falkirk children safe after 5500 sexual offences reported in Scotland

Data from Police Scotland shows that 5557 sexual offences were committed against under 16s in 2022/23 and, across the UK, almost 87,000 child sexual offences

were recorded by police over the same period – close to the record level of 5640 recorded in the previous year.

Types of offences included rape, sexual assault, sexual grooming and indecent communication.

New figures compiled by the NSPCC reveal that child sexual offences recorded over the past year by police across the UK and in Scotland remain close to record

levels.

The Freedom of Information data totalled 86,962 child sexual offences recorded by police across the UK in 2022/23, which remains one of the highest on record since

the charity started the annual research 16 years ago.

To help tackle this issue, the NSPCC Helpline and the Home Office are launching a campaign to encourage adults to reach out with concerns of child sexual

abuse and contact the charity’s UK adult Helpline if they are concerned a child could be at risk.

The NSPCC Helpline is the charity’s free advice line for any adult who may have concerns about a child, including professionals who work with children. The Helpline’s dedicated child protection specialists can advise on a wide range of issues.

One parent in Scotland told the Helpline: “My son has been a victim of scammers online. He’s so withdrawn and hardly sleeping. He believed he was talking to a

girlfriend online, the same age as him, and ‘she’ convinced him to send explicit images of himself.

"These were actually adult male scammers who are now demanding money from him, or they’ll leak his pictures.”

The NSPCC has also created two films promoting the new campaign. These films show how adults can use the Helpline to share any concerns they may have about a

child’s safety or welfare. One of these films is tailored to professionals, and the other reaches out to the general public.

The NSPCC also operates a dedicated Whistleblowing Helpline, which can be contacted for any concerns around child protection issues within the workplace, or other professional organisations.

Kam Thandi, Helpline Director at the NSPCC, said: “The high numbers of child sexual offences being reported by the police in Scotland and across the UK are a

warning to us all that more must be done to tackle this abuse.

“This new Helpline campaign, in partnership with the Home Office, will encourage the general public and professionals to reach out with concerns about child sexual

abuse. All of us must play our part in protecting children.

“The Helpline deals with concerns about children, no matter how big or small, and we’re encouraging adults to contact us. What is shared could be life-changing for a

child experiencing sexual abuse.”

Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or well being can contact the NSPCC helpline at [email protected] or by calling 0808 800 5000.

Children can contact e-mail childline.org.uk or call Childline on 0800 1111.