Recent data from 44 police forces across England and Wales has revealed a troubling total of 4,228 crimes linked to group sexual exploitation of children.

In 2023, it was found that nearly half of the 4,768 identified perpetrators were aged between 10 and 17, indicating a concerning trend among youth.

Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs noted that the behavior of these young offenders is often characterized by volatility and aggression, rather than mere exploration.

Riggs pointed out that children's unrestricted access to online sexual content allows them to easily misrepresent their age to access pornography, which lacks adequate safeguards.

Richard Fewkes, director of the National Police Chiefs’ Council child sexual exploitation taskforce, emphasized that exposure to certain online materials has contributed to the normalization of harmful behaviors among children.

The statistics indicate that approximately three-quarters of the victims of these crimes were female, while around three-quarters of the offenders were male.

The most prevalent offenses reported included 1,702 cases of child rape (40%), 1,200 cases of sexual assault (28%), and 1,094 cases of sexual activity involving a child (26%).

Alarmingly, there were also 430 perpetrators identified as being under the age of 10, despite the legal age of criminal responsibility in the UK being set at 10.

These findings highlight a significant issue within society, as the involvement of minors in such serious offenses raises questions about prevention and intervention strategies.