Claims of sex abuse by women grow (UK)
A huge rise in the number of children calling to report sexual abuse by women has been revealed by Childline.
Over the past five years, the charity says the number of such calls has risen five times faster than youngsters reporting abuse by a man. Of 16,094 children who called Childline about sex abuse last year, 2,142 told of abuse by a woman, up 132% on 2004-5. Men still account for the majority of child abuse claims, but the NSPCC said female sex abuse was under-reported. This is because there is a reluctance or unwillingness on the part of professionals to acknowledge or identify sexual abuse by females, the charity suggested. The research follows the recent high-profile case of nursery worker Vanessa George, who abused children in her care. She was a member of an internet paedophile ring which included another woman.
