Figures collected by the charity from the Home Office and police in Northern Ireland and Scotland showed that in 2017/18 forces recorded 16,939 child cruelty and neglect offences, up from almost 7,965 in 2012/13.
The offences included cases of parents deliberately neglecting, assaulting, abandoning or exposing their child to serious harm. One included a child who had to have his legs amputated as a result of abuse and cruelty from his biological parents, who were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The charity warned that the figures do not reflect the true level of neglect, as they excluded cases dealt with by social workers.
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