ChildLine in Liverpool encourages more young people to report sex assaults

COUNSELLORS at the ChildLine, base in Liverpool, are encouraging more young people to speak out about sex assaults, as new research from the NSPCC shows that thousands of teenage girls across the UK who are sexually assaulted by boys suffer in silence.

Research undertaken by the NSPCC with young adults shows as many as 280,000 young girls in the UK could be affected at some point if the figures were extrapolated out.

Adolescents are responsible for around a third of all sex offences committed against children and in three out of four of these cases the victim will know the offender. However, teenage girls will often accept the abuse as part of a relationship or don't know how to stop it.

While the majority (66%) of those abused by an adult report what's happened, fewer than one in five tell anyone if the offender is a young person, according to the charity which runs the UK wide ChildLine Service.

From 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 the Liverpool ChildLine base carried out 765 counselling interactions with the primary concern of 'Sexual Abuse'. The perpetrator was disclosed in 84% of these counselling interactions. Only 6% of the young people who contacted counsellors at the ChildLine's base in Liverpool said they had been abused by another young person.

A 15 year old girl who contacted the Liverpool ChildLine base said:- "I'm scared to say no to my boyfriend when he's touching me in a sexual way as when I tried he hit me and touched me anyway. I'm scared that if I say no to sex he will get it anyway, even if it is by force. He is twice my size so I am unable to stop him."

Jon Brown, Head of the NSPCC's Head of Strategy and Development for Sexual Abuse programme said:- "Many girls are being forced to carry out sexual acts and in some cases are even being raped. We're not talking about 'horse play' or teenagers experimenting, this is often serious abuse. But unfortunately many of the girls don't see it that way. They think it's just part of a relationship they have with a boy or may be too embarrassed or frightened to tell anyone about it. When an adult sexually abuses a young person there is a greater chance it will be reported to someone; police, a parent or a teacher. But when a teenage boy is responsible it seems to slip into another category where the same alarm bells don't ring with the victim. The boys who do this must learn this behaviour is not acceptable under any circumstances otherwise they will think they have a free rein to continue mistreating girls in this way. And the girls may need counselling or therapy because this kind of abuse can cause both physical and psychological harm. There is an awful lot of pressure on them, particularly in an increasingly sexualised world where boys can easily access pornography and get completely the wrong idea of what a relationship is all about. So advice and education are paramount."

The risk of a girl being sexually assaulted rises dramatically from early teenage years with the majority of assaults being committed against 12 to 17 year olds.

In an effort to reduce incidents of teenage sexual abuse the NSPCC is calling for:-

► Education programmes to promote consenting, respectful relationships and dispel the perception girls are just sex objects.

► Young people to seek help, through ChildLine, teachers or parents if they are being forced, pressured or coerced into carrying out sex acts.

Sue Minto, Head of ChildLine, said:- "It's vitally important that young girls get help and support if they find themselves in a situation where they are being coerced into having sex. Frequently they will feel this is just part of growing up and won't recognise that it's wrong. Fewer than 6% of the 765 contacts we had at the Liverpool base last year about sexual abuse were from children saying they had been assaulted by another young person, so this seems to bear that out. Sometimes the abuse will happen in an intimate relationship or it may be a friend of a friend or someone on the edge of their social circle. But whoever it is we would want to encourage anyone effected to talk to someone about it, or contact us confidentially by phone on:- 0800 11 11 or go online."

Every year more than 50,000 child victims of sexual abuse miss out on therapy because of a shortfall in services. The NSPCC is working on the frontline to help fill this gap by introducing a raft of new programmes including, 'Letting the Future in' which will provide structured sessions to help these children rebuild their lives.

O-very Nice Flowers at Charity Fundraiser

GREEN fingered Southport residents are invited to join a local fundraising committee for an afternoon of tea, treats and flower arranging in aid of a local cancer research charity.

The Tea and Scones Afternoon will feature a flower arranging demonstration by expert Val Donaldson, with the finished designs being put up for auction to raise further funds for the charity, which provides grants to support fundamental research in the North West of England and Wales into the causes of cancer and how it spreads.

Alongside the workshop there will be stalls selling homemade chocolates, cards and pashminas

The Tea and Scones Afternoon has been organised by the Southport committee in support of NWCRF’s O-Very Campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the genetic predispositions amongst men and women.

Olive Cutts, chair of the committee said:- "This is our first event in our 2012 fundraising calendar and we’re hoping to raise at least £500.We can’t wait to see all of the finished designs and hope to see some new faces joining us for what I’m sure will be a lovely and informative afternoon."

Anne Jackson, NWCRF CEO, added:- "The Southport Committee have a real flair for putting on colourful events and the Tea and Scones Afternoon sounds like it’s going to be no exception. The event will help us raise awareness of the O-Very campaign and contribute towards funding vital cancer research projects at Liverpool, Bangor and Lancaster."

The Tea and Scones Afternoon will be held at the Masonic Hall on Wednesday, 7 March 2012, from 2pm. Tickets are £6 and are available on the door or by contacting Olive Cutts on:- 01704 578900.