ChildLine notes rise in sex abuse claims against women
9 November 2009
There has been a marked increase in the number of children
reporting sexual abuse by women, a charity has stated.
According to ChildLine, which offers free and confidential
support for children via its website and freephone service, the
number of reported cases involving women has increased by 132 per
cent since 2005.
The charity indicates that boys are more likely to report being
abused by a female family member such as their mother, while girls
often report their fathers.
Some 2,141 children told ChildLine they had been abused by a
woman over the past year, around a quarter of all calls in which
the abuser's gender could be ascertained.
ChildLine president Esther Rantzen CBE commented: "This report
reveals that ChildLine, by listening to the direct and authentic
voices of abused children, has shattered common myths about sexual
abuse.
"It does not only happen to girls, as many people believe - it
happens to boys, too."
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