In a week absorbed by one national scandal, another was mainly overlooked. Analysis of data from 42 police forces in England and Wales revealed the passing of a ghastly milestone: in 2022 the majority of reported sexual crimes against children (52 per cent) was committed not by adults but other children.
Maybe you dismiss hormone-fuelled teenagers “exploring” their sexuality, sexting each other nudes. And indeed, 15,534 cases of indecent images created and shared by under-18s, which is illegal even if consensual, make up a sizeable chunk. And, while these young people should not be (and rarely are) criminalised, a child’s naked image going online and remaining there for ever is not a trivial misdeed.
Besides, 8,020 child-on-child sexual assaults and 6,813 rapes were also reported.
