Figures show huge rise in reports from children who are being emotionally abused
Reports of children being emotionally abused has soared by an alarming 427% in Scotland in just seven years, according to new figures released by the NSPCC today.
The charity’s annual child protection report How Safe Are Our Children found that since 2009/10 the number of contacts to the NSPCC Helpline from people concerned about children in Scotland being subjected to emotional abuse has risen from 83 to 438 in 2016/2017.
Across the UK, the figure has also increased significantly during this same period from 3,341 to 10,009 reports.
NSPCC Scotland is concerned the full scale of the problem could be much greater and is demanding that the Scottish Government, in conjunction with its UK counterpart, commissions a nationwide study that looks at the prevalence of child abuse and neglect in the UK.
Joanna Barrett, acting head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “Hearing reports from our Helpline about parents or carers who are consistently verbally assaulting, bullying, isolating or humiliating their children is devastating.
“The huge increase in people recognising and reporting emotional abuse to our Helpline indicates people are willing to take action, but the disturbing truth is that the UK has no idea how many other children are suffering from emotional abuse or in fact, any type of abuse.
“We urgently need the Scottish Government in conjunction with the UK government to step in now, before another eight years go by, and commission a study that gives us the clearest possible picture of the extent of child abuse and neglect in the UK.”
Helpline staff are hearing accounts of parents telling their children they hate them or wished they were dead, threatening them with extreme violence and blaming them for issues they are facing themselves such as unemployment or financial problems.
Last year alone (2016/17) the NSPCC’s child protection experts dealt with 10,009 UK-wide contacts relating to emotional abuse – the equivalent to 27 a day - with three quarters (75%) deemed so severe they were referred to the police and/or children’s services.
We urgently need the Scottish Government in conjunction with the UK Government to step in now - Joanna Barrett
In Scotland 335 of the 438 contacts received from worried members of the public were referred to police and/or children’s services.
Despite a huge increase in the amount of people reporting emotional abuse to the NSPCC Helpline over the last seven years, it is unclear how many more children in the UK are suffering from emotional abuse, or any other form of maltreatment, because of a lack of research in to the extent of abuse. The last study of this kind took place in 2009.
The last study of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect was conducted in 2009 by the NSPCC.
Since then there’s been significant changes for children’s lives, not least the increase in reporting of online abuse, and big increases in reporting of child sexual abuse.
