§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research he has collated on the number of individuals in Northern Ireland who have suffered sexual abuse. [183019]
§ Angela SmithThe information requested is not available, as cases of sexual abuse are largely unreported, and information on the number of people who have reported experiencing sexual abuse is not collected centrally.
Information is, however, available on the number of children who have been placed on the Child Protection Register because they are at risk of sexual abuse. At 31 March 2003, there were 238 such children.
In addition, during the financial year 2003–04, there were 1,780 notifiable sexual offences against adults and children recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. During 2002–03, when in total 1,469 notifiable sexual offences were recorded, the victim was under 18 years of age in 851 cases (out of 1,418 cases where the age of the victim was known or applicable).