Young people, sexual abuse and pornography

Figures for England and Wales compiled by the Rape Monitoring Group indicate that 37.5 percent of rapes recorded by the police in England and Wales were of under 16s.

For further information visit www.communitycare.co.uk/2014/01/31/four-10-recorded-rapes-involve-children-reveal-police-figures/?utm_content=buffer0056b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

In addition, a survey of 27 of Barnardo's specialist services in the UK has revealed that in September 2013 the number of sexually exploited children and young people in need of support rose by 54 percent. In that month, Barnardo's worked with 826 victims of abuse, a rise of 292 children, 54 percent, since September 2012.

For further information visit www.barnardos.org.uk/news/media_centre/press_releases.htm?ref=95716.

Young Minds has published the results of a poll on how online pornography is affecting young people. Key findings include that:

• A third of young people aged 11 to 14 have watched online pornography on a tablet or mobile phone;
• Three quarters described their reaction to watching pornography as disturbed, upset, worried or excited;
• Over half who had viewed pornography said it had affected their relationships; and
• A quarter said they had viewed pornography with a group of friends.

For further information visit www.youngminds.org.uk/news/blog/1854_safer_internet_day_porn_affecting_11-year-olds.