Thousands of child-on-child sexual offences reported at schools in England and Wales

[IwantToRetire]

Average of nearly five sexual crimes a day against under-13s were reported to police between 2021 and 2025

Lawyers and campaigners have condemned the “horrifying” scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools after a Guardian investigation revealed at least 1,700 sexual offences against under-13s, including multiple rapes, are reported to police every year.

Close to five sexual crimes against children aged 12 and younger were recorded on average by police every day in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, according to Guardian analysis of police data for 2021-25.

The figures include reports of almost 2,000 rapes and attempted rapes, which is equivalent to an average of one allegation of rape at a school received by the police every single day. More than a third of the rape victims were children under 13.

Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/04/child-on-child-sexual-abuse-schools-england-and-wales

I read this - utterly appalling. I genuinely do t know what can be done about it :(

Porn needs to be blocked from the internet like it is in Australia. We are raising porn-addled boys and VAWG is a global epidemic.

I dont have any children, but was horrified to read this.

School can be bad enough for children just as part of growing up.

But this is beyond believe.

And I really thought this would be an issue those on FWR would be concerned about, and because maybe sadly have children impacted.

Hard to understand when there are endless threads about what some personality did or did not say, or shouty threads about asylum seekers.

The figures include reports of almost 2,000 rapes and attempted rapes, which is equivalent to an average of one allegation of rape at a school received by the police every single day. More than a third of the rape victims were children under 13.

Girls are more likely to be victims of sexual offences than boys, according to the analysis, which found that close to two-thirds of reported crimes affecting under-13s where the sex of the victim was documented had involved female victims.

I have a thread in AIBU on this. I am so surprised (or not) at all the not my nigel/what about the boys on my proposal for more SS secondary education for girls.

And yet schools still are happy with mixed sex toilets.

This is appalling, those poor children - and are the young perpetrators also victims themselves?

Or growing up in households where porn it on display or worse being watched on mobile phones or whatever.

Not that long ago there were news stories about girls being invited to meet up with a boy only to find a whole group of boys with the intent of assaulting her.

So, quite rightly, many are commenting on the terrible Cornell rape case, but not concerned as much for even younger girls.

Oh not this ridiculous assumption again - that people are not concerned.
I appreciate you posting this article, really I do. But just because people haven't commented on this subject doesn't mean they don't care.

I didn't say didn't care, but it is really strange to have a feminist forum where, even in all on the forum aren't feminist, they think this isn't something to be engaged with.

Or an example that IRL feminists feel powerless.-, even about protecting their daughters and / or taking responsibility for sons who may be assaulting young girls.

'Up to 27,000 female freshers could be raped by the time they leave uni’
https://metro.co.uk/2026/10/06/up-27-000-female-freshers-raped-time-leave-uni-29679566/

Is it any surprise when nobody is stopping them when they were are school.

I remember sexual attacks on girls by other girls at my girls' only school in the 60s. No-one did anything about it afaik. Certainly not me. There was a spate of it, in fact, one autumn. I suspect that sexual assaults have always happened but among older teenagers. Pornography being available more freely (we only had Lady Chatterly's Lover and some rather suspect pictures of naked female 'gymnasts') has increased what was always there, I suspect. How we get out of this mess is beyond me, apart from banning pornography and supervising school students very closely all the time. I suspect making sure lavatories and changing rooms are single sex and randomly policed by staff would help.

I care deeply about this. I just don't have the time or energy to scroll MN all the time looking at every thread... And sometimes I just don't have anything to contribute.

I feel powerless and uninformed without any good evidence and discussion as to what the cause is and what can be done - not at all denying online porn is likely to be a huge contributor but what can I do about that other than try and keep my own kids safe and informed!

I agree with the time pressure. And not meaning this to be personal.

But more me wondering out loud.

As for some, those with daughters at school or going to university it must be such a concern.

Are schools not obliged to keep parents informed?

The article just talks about it happening but nothing about what schools are doing to tackle it.

I’m 100% for banning the internet! It’s ruined almost everything.

80+ expert organisations call on government to act on sexual violence in schools

Between 2021 and 2025, police recorded more than 8,060 sexual offences involving victims under 13 in England and Wales – equivalent to 4.4 offences every day. A further 2,300 sexual offences against children aged 13–16 were recorded over the same period.

The data also shows close to 1,900 reports of rape offences, including attempted rape. More than a third of victims were under 13 and three quarters were female. There were also at least 5,800 offences involving the possession, taking, making or distribution of indecent images of children under 18.

These figures are devastating. But they are only the tip of the iceberg, given that most sexual violence goes unreported. For far too many children, particularly girls, their childhoods are being shaped by abuse in places where they should be safe.

Sexual violence can have devastating and long-lasting impacts on survivors, affecting their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as attendance, educational attainment and outcomes.

Sexual violence is preventable, not inevitable, and we cannot wait until the very worst harms have occurred before taking action.

https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/80-expert-organisations-call-on-government-to-act-on-sexual-violence-in-schools/

Its obviously good that groups like this are challenging Government, but find it strange they haven't for instance set up an online petition or something, so that individual could also put pressure on Government.

Or maybe they have!

Gosh this is awful. The only positive I can see is that now these things are actually being reported and people don’t feel as ashamed as they used to reporting these things (and feeling empowered enough to be able to report them). Even growing up in the 90s where things were starting to change, I remember how many things went unreported, or shoved under the carpet.

It doesn't surprise me at all. My son's description of how feral the cis boys at his school were after lockdown was terrifying. Being the sole trans boy in the place he was in the front line for sexual violence - cis boys saw him as fair game.

He also reported that the worst boys had been radicalised by far-right and misogynist influencers. They worshipped men like Andrew Tate and had '88' written on their hands, pencil cases, schoolbags. And despite a lot of interventions, he and and his cis female friends felt completely unsafe.

It's also a reflection of the defunding of Family Services. Violent, disturbed children aren't being identified or sufficiently supported early enough.

Horrible combination of lone abusers and rape culture.

By 'child-on-child sexual offences' they mean overwhelmingly 'boy-on-girl sexual offences - if the problem isn't accurately defined, it can't be accurately dealt with.

I don't think it's possible to separate these horrifying statistics from the numbers of children who have 24/7 unsupervised access to smartphones from a very early age, which means they have 24/7 unsupervised access to everything available on the internet from an early age.

One of those things is porn. Not just porn, but violent porn. Rape. Strangulation. Torture. Killing.

Young boys who have committed crimes against women like rape and even murder have been found to be 'consuming' extreme porn on the phones they were given when they were very young, and which they have 24/7 access too, with no supervision.

Children committing violent crimes is not new, obviously, but the numbers of boys committing crimes against girls and even adult women, and the young age at which boys become sexually abusive, point to something having changed, and the common denominator seems to be being able to access vile and violent material, 24/7, in their own rooms, on phones that they are too young to use responsibly.

Do you know what a huge part of the problem is? How connected everyone is. It's so easy now to find like-minded people in an anonymous way. Ban social media and get kids off the internet. Ban smartphones for kids.

Sadly I think you are right.

And what is so disgusting is that in 2026 society will still not name the problem - ie men.

Men as fathers, men as husbands and partners, men as sons.

It may well, be porn, it may well be the internet, but the real problem is men and male culture.

And why families are unable to exert influence on their sons, and why school are not being open with parents about how they cant protect their daughters whilst they are in school.

And the NAM is also the problem because men and not taking responsibility for men, and their culture and attitude towards women and girls.

I bet if a family said our daughter isn't safe in your school so we are not letting her attend they would be sued, and no one would bother about the school being an unsafe environment for girls.

@MarieDeGournay I think you're spot on.

Also, @Awkwardisfunny It's so easy now to find like-minded people in an anonymous way. Though I suspect this is more likely a factor for adults than children, e.g. the ever-increasing number of husbands drugging their wives to make them available for rapists.