One in Five Adults were abused as a child

An analysis conducted by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that a staggering one in five adults were abused as children.

This research was collected from data taken from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, Department for Education, Welsh government  NSPCC and NAPAC has considered not only emotional, physical and sexual abuse but also domestic violence.

A gut-wrenching 8.5 million people ages between 18-74 have been abused or witnessed abuse as a child before the age of 16. Of 8.5 million people, 24 million were women who were the subject of sexual abuse and 709,000 were men. Around one in four women experienced abuse before the age of 16 compared with one in six men.

These upsetting facts can be used to help obtain a better understanding of both the nature of child abuse and the potential demand for support services. Childline, which delivers counselling sessions to children in the UK confirmed that they deliver 19,847 sessions in the year up to March 2019 where abuse was the main concern.

While this data estimates adults have experienced abuse before the age of 16 it does not account for the current level of child abuse in the country. The report shown at the end of March 2019 shows more than 54,000 children were in the care of local authorities for there own safety.

Although taking the child away from the abuse is the most important step the victims will often suffer from significant psychological hard due to the actions of their abusers and for these victims, we realise there is, unfortunately, no getting away from what has happened to them.

At Hopkins, we are dedicated to pursuing claims that can help out clients to bring closure to that part of their lives. While we understand no amount of charges can truly compensate for the ordeals witnessed we hope to provide valuable resources to fund medical treatment and therapy to aid recovery.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of abuse or have been affected by anything spoken about in this article, please get in touch. Our experienced family law team are dedicated to speaking with you in the strictest of confidence and our initial phone consultation is free of charge. Call us on 01623468468 or use the enquiry form below.