NSPCC: Adolescents four times more at risk of physical abuse than younger children

The charity’s new How safe are our children? 2020 report shows that rates of physical and sexual abuse of 11- to 18-year-olds in England have increased since 2014/15.

Older children are also more likely to be the victims of online grooming, the report states.

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There were 99,139 recorded physical abuse offences against children and young people aged 11 to 18 in England in 2018/19 - a rate of 197.4 per 10,000 adolescents compared with 48.7 per 10,000 under-11s.

Offences of rape and sexual activity with a 13 to 15-year-old recorded by police in England have increased by five per cent and eight per cent respectively in the past year, the NSPCC said.

In 2018/19, there were 45.4 rape offences per 10,000 13- to 15-year-olds and 77 offences of sexual activity per 10,000 13- to 15-year olds in England compared with nine rape offences per 10,000 under-13s, and 9.8 offences of sexual activity per 10,000 under-13s.

The report also finds that rates of police-recorded online grooming offences against adolescents are nine times higher than those targeting younger children.

In 2018/19, the rate of recorded offences against adolescents in England was 9.9 per 10,000 12 to 15-year-olds, compared with 0.8 per 10,000 under-12s.

The NSPCC’s Helpline service saw calls reporting concerns over the physical abuse of a child increase by 53 per cent between April and July compared with the same period last year, the report shows.

Concerns about emotional abuse increased by nearly a quarter, it adds.

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The charity has also highlighted concerns over an increase in mental health issue among children and young people 

The report states that 80 per cent of children with pre-existing mental health problems surveyed by the NSPCC said the pandemic had worsened their mental health.

It adds that there are also indications that child suicide deaths may have increased during lockdown but states it is “too early” to tell.

There were 26 probable child suicides during the 82 days before lockdown, and a further 25 in the first 56 days of lockdown in England, the charity said, highlighting research from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) Programme.

In 12 of the 25 post-lockdown deaths, factors related to coronavirus or lockdown were thought to have played some part.

These included restrictions on education and other activities, disruption to care and support services, tensions at home and isolation.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “No-one has been left unaffected by the uncertainty we are living through. For adolescents, already navigating perhaps the most challenging period of their lives, the impact is likely to be significant and, in some cases, lasting.

“As pupils return to education, we need to be prepared to make sure schools and teachers, children’s social care and other safeguarding partners are ready to support every young person who has suffered during lockdown.”