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Child Abuse

Volume 329: debated on Tuesday 13 April 1999

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions have been achieved in cases of child abuse in respect of children aged (i) zero to four years, (ii) four to six years and (iii) six to 10 years, in each of the last five years. [80087]

Those who abuse children can be charged with a number of offences. However, some of these offences, such as assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault, are mostly used to prosecute those who attack and injure adults and it is not possible to identify child victims from the overall statistics. The table shows the statistics for those offences where it is possible to identify a child victim. No further age breakdown is available centrally.

England and Wales

Number of persons

Convictions

1

Offences

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Indictable Offences

Violence against the person

Murder of Infant under 1 year of age226811
Infanticide53243
Child destruction1
Cruelty to, or neglect of children209238317293390
Abandoning children under 2 years171
Child abduction3236665240
Concealment of Birth211

Sexual offences

Buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal136135865
Attempt to commit buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with awoman or an animal2016142
Buggery by a male of a male under 162

5

5

296670
Buggery by a male with a female under 162

5

5

71721
Indecent assault on male person under 16 years293324339355363
Gross indecency by a male aged 21 or over with a male aged under 183

5

111117
Gross indecency by a male aged 18–20 with a male aged under 185

5

5

2
Rape of a female aged under 164

5

5

113210198
Rape of a male aged under 164

5

5

21324
Attempted rape of a female aged under 164

5

5

213552
Attempted rape of a male aged under 164

5

225
Indecent assault on a female under 161,2051,3551,4461,5971,627
Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 137664815444
Incest with a girl under 135135211919
Inciting girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse2453
Householder permitting unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 166231
Person responsible for girl under 16 causing or encouraging her prostitution etc.1311
Male aged 21 or over procuring or attempting to procure a male under18 of gross indecency with another male3

5

5

236
Abduction of unmarried girl under 1669631
Gross indecency with boys aged 14 and under8077565356
Gross indecency with girls aged 14 and under12311299109111

Summary Offences

Violent offences

Cruelty to or neglect of children22331

1Includes persons proceeded against in earlier years or for other offences.

2Buggery and attempted buggery offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Section 12 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 143.

3Indecency between males offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Section 12 as amended by the Criminal Justice Public Order Act Act 1994, Section 144.

4Rape and attempted rape offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 Section 1 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 142.

5Not available.