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| The NSPCC believes the publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile scandal has pushed child abuse up the news agenda and has helped encourage victims to come forward after years of silence |
Police say there the former BBC broadcaster abused at least 1,300 people over 54 years - but the children’s charity said more were still coming forward.
The charity revealed that publicity over the scandal has led to an overall surge in the number of child victims of sexual abuse and rape contacting the NSPCC.
Over the past year, the number of referrals from the charity’s helpline to police and social services has almost doubled - up 84 per cent - in response to publicity surrounding the scandal.
In June and July this year, almost 600 calls were referred - up from 323 over the same two months the year before.
The chief executive of the NSPCC hailed the increase, saying it showed that the Savile scandal was encouraging victims to come forward after years of silence.
But Peter Wanless warned that, unless the country does more to step in sooner, we could find that another Savile has long been in our midst going unpunished.
He said the Savile scandal had served to push the problem of child abuse up the news agenda.
‘Police now believe there could be up to 1,300 victims, some as young as five. (more...)
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