Figures showing 43% of sexual crimes committed in Scotland involve young people are “deeply worrying”, a charity said.
The Scottish Government’s latest crime statistics found there had been a 7% increase in reported sexual offences in the past 12 months.
In total, 10,273 sexual crimes were recorded in Scotland between 2014/15 and 2015/16. Rape and attempted rape made up almost a fifth of reported incidents.
At least 43% of victims of sexual crime were under 18 years old, the figures showed.
Young people overwhelming tells us that they need information and support on these issues
The report found sexual crimes had more than doubled in the past decade and are now at their highest level since records began in 1971.
Rape Crisis Scotland said moves to make it less stressful to report sexual crimes had given more victims the confidence to speak to police following an attack.
However, the charity warned that levels of sexual crime in Scotland could have “significantly” increased in the past year.
Sandy Brindley, the charity’s national coordinator, said: "It is important that people have confidence in reporting sexual crime.
“Changes introduced by Police Scotland in recent years have transformed how sexual crime is investigated in Scotland. It is likely that at least some of the increase in recorded sexual crime is due to people having more confidence to report what has happened to them.
“However, it is also possible that there has been a significant increase in the actual levels of sexual crime taking place. Particularly worrying is the high level of sexual offences being experienced by children and young people in Scotland - in 43% of sexual crimes, the victim was under 18.”
Ms Brindley called for better education and support to be given to young people in a bid to drive down incidents of sexual crime.
She said a prevention project run by the charity had worked with 18,000 young people in 102 schools since 2013.
“Young people overwhelming tells us that they need information and support on these issues,” she added.
“Rape Crisis Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to ensure that every young people in Scotland has access to appropriate information and support around consent and healthy sexual relationships."
Justice secretary Michael Matheson said the statistics included a “significant number of historical cases”.
He added: "While higher levels of recorded sexual crime are broadly in line with UK trends, include a significant number of historical cases and may reflect greater willingness by victims to come forward, such incidents are completely unacceptable.
"This is why we have taken tough action to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
"Today's report also indicates that female victims of common assault were far more likely than men to be assaulted by a partner or ex-partner - underlining why the Scottish Government has committed an additional £20 million over three years to tackle violence against women, alongside our plan to strengthen legislation against all forms of domestic abuse."
The figures showed total incidents of reported crime were at their lowest level for 40 years.
