Online self-help resources 'preventing child sex abuse'
Nina Jacobs
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Self-help resources are increasingly being used by people worried about their sexual attitudes towards children, the Home Secretary has reported.
Speaking at the NSPCC's annual conference on Tuesday, Sajid Javid said that more people are reporting online images of sexual abuse, and more of those who are viewing or considering viewing the images are seeking help.
Javid praised the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which has seen calls to its specialist helpline - that aims to protect child victims of online abuse - increase by nearly 25 per cent in a year.
He said the foundation's Stop It Now! website had also seen a 40 per cent increase in the number of people accessing its resources.
"We know it's working, with independent evaluation showing web users concerned about their behaviour reported increased awareness of the law and positive behaviour changes," said Javid, adding: "So more potential offenders are being stopped before they prey upon children - something we undoubtedly need to see more of."
The initiative delivers awareness sessions on child sexual abuse as well as online self-help resources for those concerned about their thoughts and behaviour towards children.
The news comes as figures released by the NSPCC this week show there are an average of 22 online child sex abuse offences committed every day.
Javid said the online threat posed to children and young people continues to "escalate and evolve".
The NSPCC figures show incidents recorded by the police of online-related sex crimes against children have doubled since 2015.
UK referrals of child abuse images from industry are also 10 times greater than in 2013.
Javid said the government's education campaign with the Internet Watch Foundation and Marie Collins Foundation had also seen a 72 per cent increase in public reports of indecent images of children online.
This shows "more people know what to do if they stumble across this disturbing material".
"The more images we know about, the more victims can be identified and protected," he said.
Since 2015, the number of specialist National Crime Agency officers had been doubled resulting in up to 600 children safeguarded every month, he added.
Javid said a new cross-government strategy to tackle all forms of child sexual exploitation would be published later this year.
He announced £600,000 funding to three organisations supporting victims and survivors including £163,000 to an NSPCC project helping children with learning disabilities affected by sexual abuse.
Michael Marett-Crosby, interim chief executive officer of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said it had been calling for a cross-government strategy for more than a decade.
"Protecting children from sexual harm isn't the responsibility of a single government minister or department. Collaborative working, across Whitehall, is vital if we are to truly prevent child sexual abuse.
"This must include teaching children, and parents, about the things they can do to stay safe.
"But it also means, alongside law enforcement, funding proven ways to deter people from sexually harming children in the first place.
"We need to make sure that people have places to turn if they're worried about their own thoughts, feelings or behaviour, or about someone else's. And we need to make sure these places offer effective help based on sound experience and research," he said.
Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said the latest figures on child sex abuse were "the tip of the iceberg".
"Far too many children are drowning in a sea of online threats, so it's now time for the next Prime Minister, whoever he may be, to cast out the life jacket."
He said the charity is calling for an independent regulator that would protect children from the risks of abuse and impose mandatory safety rules for social networks.
A consultation on the Online Harms white paper, which sets out the government's package of online safety measures, is due to finish next week.
