We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Des Mannion, NSPCC Regional Head of Service for London and the South East. Ed
New figures released by the Office for National Statistics highlight how child sex offenders are increasingly exploiting the Web to commit crimes such as rape, sexual assault and grooming.
Across England and Wales last year there were 9,543 recorded crimes where the offender contacted their victim on the Internet.
Rising figures
Cyber-related crimes made up 16 per cent of the total number of child sexual offences recorded between September 2017 and September 2018.
We fear this may not reveal the true extent of the problem due to the wide variation and under-recording of the role of the Internet in these crimes.
#WildWestWeb
Our #WildWestWeb campaign is calling for an independent regulator with the power to investigate and fine social networks if they fall short in protecting children.
It is time social networks were made to take responsibility and stopped allowing their platforms to be used as gateways for these devastating crimes.
Sign the petition
We urge the public to sign our petition and help make this a reality.
Please support the NSPCC’s Wild West Web campaign by signing the petition now.
