Increasing numbers of Scottish children are coming to the attention of Police Scotland because they are being targeted online for indecency, according to new figures.
The NSPCC revealed the figures which show a 60 per cent increase in the number of alleged offences recorded by the national force in the last year.
The number of offences of communicating indecently with a child under 13 rose from 103 in 2013-14 to 165 in 2014-15.
In 2010 when the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act was introduced, there were only 15 recorded offences. However the number of offences against older children dropped last year from 244 in 2013-14 to 189 in 2014-15.
Nevertheless, the charity said they showed dozens of adults in Scotland had attempted to target young children. The law makes it an offence for a person to send a sexual written or verbal communication to a child.
The figures were published as the NSPCC launched its state of the UK annual report How Safe Are Our Children? at the charity’s annual conference in London. The charity says increasing use of social media may be putting younger children at risk and is urging police forces across the UK to ensure all officers understand how sex offenders abuse the internet to carry out crimes against children and how to investigate and record such crimes effectively.
Matt Forde, Head of Service for NSPCC Scotland said: “These figures confirm our fears that the internet is playing an increasing role in the sexual abuse of younger children in Scotland and across the UK as a whole.
“We welcome efforts by Police Scotland to tackle online sexual abuse. These figures show an increasing number of crimes are coming to the attention of the police and are being investigated. However, more needs to be done."
One 13-year-old girl who contacted ChildLine said: “I was being groomed online by men and it went on for years. Then people started finding out and getting involved. They didn't know the full extent but I spoke to the police. When they questioned me I felt so ashamed so I didn't tell them the full story. I feel like such a coward. I tried to kill myself recently because it's constantly on my mind.”
Matt Forde said: “The emotional impact of being targeted online is a very real concern for young children in Scotland and we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment that there will be more funding available for child mental health services. But support must be available to every child who has endured abuse before they hit a crisis point ."
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