Three in ten female rape victims known to police under 16

Nearly a third of female victims of rape that comes to the attention of the police are under 16 years old according to a new analysis of recorded crime data from 13 police forces, reports The Guardian. The analysis by the Office for National Statistics provides the first detailed breakdown of the age and gender of victims of recorded sexual offences.

It also reveals that a quarter of female rape victims are under 14, and that one in ten are under nine. Half of female victims of other sexual offences, such as assaults, are under 16.

Reporting of sexual violence has increased dramatically since the revelations in late 2012 of prolific child sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile. In the 12 months to March 2015 the police recorded the highest number of sexual offences since the new recording standards were introduced in 2002.