At least half a million children are estimated to experience in-person contact sexual abuse each year in England and Wales, say experts who warn that the total scale of child sexual abuse is likely much higher given the ongoing rise in online abuse.
In new research published today, the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) estimates that at least 20% of girls and 10% of boys are sexually abused during childhood. Almost two-thirds of children who are sexually abused also experience other forms of abuse or neglect at some point during their childhood.
Despite the scale, only a fraction of children who have been sexually abused are identified by professionals. 70% of boys and over 50% of girls told no one about their abuse at the time, often because of embarrassment or shame, fear of not being believed, or self-blame. It is therefore incredibly important that professionals are confident in recognising sign and indicators of child sexual abuse themselves.
The CSA Centre’s latest scale and nature report brings together insights from an Office for National Statistics (ONS) crime prevalence survey; data from local authorities, police and criminal justice during 2024/25; and prominent international research to provide a detailed analysis of what we currently know about child sexual abuse and how it is being responded to.
18–24-year-olds, the youngest ONS respondents and therefore the group who were children most recently, reported the highest overall rate of experiencing sexual abuse in childhood at 13.1%. The survey also revealed that two-fifths of respondents affected by sexual abuse said this abuse had involved another child or children under the age of 18 – harmful sexual behaviour by children and young people is not a rare or marginal issue.
While child sexual abuse is estimated to be very prevalent, the number of child needs assessments naming child sexual abuse as a concern fell to a decade low. Child protection plans for child sexual abuse also only accounted for just 3.5% of all plans in 2024/25 – the joint-lowest proportion in 32 years. In fact, almost two-thirds of local authorities (97 out of 153) placed no or very few children on child protection plans for sexual abuse.
Meanwhile official police data in England and Wales shows that the overall number of recorded child sexual abuse offences increased in 2024/25 to nearly 104,000. The largest category of these offences related to child sexual abuse images. The increase is likely due in part to new offences introduced in the Online Safety Act (2023). Police forces recorded over 14,000 charges or summons for child sexual abuse offences – the highest number on record. The number of cases closed due to evidential difficulties fell by 10% but still account for six in every seven cases.
In 2024, the number of defendants proceeded against for child sexual abuse offences rose by 17% to a 20-year high, likely contributing to court waiting times rising to more than a year (375 days) between charge and conclusion in court on average, compared to 252 days in 2020/21.
Ian Dean, the CSA Centre’s Director, said:
This report brings the shocking scale of child sexual abuse into sharp focus, making clear that this is sadly not a rare or unusual occurrence. Yet worryingly few cases ever come to the attention of statutory agencies, with children unlikely to disclose abuse directly and many professionals lacking the knowledge and confidence to identify and act on signs and concerns.
While better training and support for professionals is vital, everyone in society has a part to play in improving the response to child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse thrives in silence, and it is only by acknowledging and talking about it that we can break that silence, giving children the confidence to seek help and making it much more difficult for those who seek to cause harm.
We also need much better data to fully understand the changing scale and nature of child sexual abuse, particularly in light of rapid developments around online harms and social media. We are calling on the government to fund the Office for National Statistics to undertake a dedicated survey of older children and young adults, giving us the information we need to better understand how sexual abuse is taking place today.
Download and read the new Scale and nature report today.
