Reports of sexual offences against children have risen by more than a third - with police recording at least 85 sexual assaults every day in the UK.
The figures, for England and Wales, show a total of 31,238 allegations of sexual offences against children in 2013-14, reports skynews.com
The data, obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), showed the majority of the victims were aged between 12 and 16.
However, one in four - 8,282 - were younger than 11, and of those, 2,895 were estimated to be aged five or under.
In 2012-13, 22,654 allegations were recorded by 41 police forces. All 43 forces in England and Wales responded in the latest study. Britain’s largest force, the Metropolitan Police, recorded the highest number of sex crimes against children, with 3,523.
The NSPCC said until now the total had largely remained steady and the 38% rise was the biggest increase in six years of requesting the figures.
Peter Wanless, the charity’s chief executive, said: “These figures are disturbing and clearly illustrate child sexual abuse is a continuing and widespread problem that needs urgent action.
More than three quarters of the reported abuse cases in 2013-14 were against girls.
