NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
13 JANUARY 2014
The number of child sex crimes recorded in Northern Ireland has risen by almost a fifth following the Jimmy Savile scandal, experts said.
Almost 400 offences against youngsters aged under 10 were reported last year as more people came forward after the exposure of the disgraced former DJ, police figures revealed.
The NSPCC urged parents to protect their children and revealed the alarming wrongdoing, which may have happened many years ago or more recently.
It comes as a public inquiry into historical child abuse in institutions run by organisations like churches and the state opens in Northern Ireland.
The charity’s regional head Neil Anderson said: “Whilst some of the increase will be down to an increase in reporting due to the Savile scandal, sexual abuse continues to be a terrible scar on our society which won’t heal by itself.”
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