ChildLine reports rise in calls about female sexual abuse

Latest figures show a 132 per cent rise in reports of female sex abuse to the helpline over the last five years.

In the same period, reports of sex abuse by males rose by 27 per cent.

Last year, ChildLine counsellors heard from 2,142 children who said they had been abused by a female, making up almost a quarter of the calls where the abuser’s gender could be identified.

A total of 1,311 children said they had been sexually abused by their mother – 61 per cent of calls about female sex abuse.

More than twice as many as this (2,972) said they had been sexually abused by their father – 45 per cent of calls about sex abuse by males.

Sue Minto, head of ChildLine, said: "Most sex abuse calls to ChildLine come from girls saying they were assaulted by a male. But a growing number of callers now say they were sexually abused by a female. This may be partly because more boys are calling us than previously.

"Many would find it shocking that any woman – let alone a mother – can sexually assault a child. But they do."