THE number of children reporting sexual abuse by women to ChildLine has more than doubled over the past five years, it is revealed today.
New figures show a 132% rise in complaints of female sexual assaults to the helpline, compared with a 27% increase in reports of abuse by men.
A total of 2,142 children told ChildLine last year they had been sexually abused by a woman.
The disturbing statistics follow the high-profile case of nursery worker Vanessa George, who was a member of an internet paedophile ring along with another woman. Last year ChildLine heard from 1,311 children who said they had been sexually assaulted by their own mother, representing 61% of all calls about abuse by females.
Esther Rantzen, president of the helpline, said: “This report reveals that ChildLine, by listening to the direct and authentic voices of abused children, has shattered common myths about sexual abuse.”
