Over 13,500 people seek help from charity on indecent images of children

Working closely with police, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation released a report on its initiative to tackle the proliferation of indecent images of children online. 

In just one year, 1,615 people called the confidential Stop it Now! Helpline, and 12,057 visited the website to access self-help resources. 

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Child Protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey said:

“Viewing indecent images of children is illegal and it is not a victimless crime - children in these images are abused when an image is first taken and repeatedly victimised every time that image is viewed.

“In 2013, it was estimated that 50,000 people were viewing these images but we fear that number could have increased significantly. In response, forces are arresting more offenders and safeguarding more children than ever before. But enforcement alone cannot solve this problem – more needs to be done to prevent abuse in the first place. There are many people who offend or are yet to offend and want help to stop their behaviour; the work of the Lucy Faithful Foundation is vitally important in supporting these people and giving them access to appropriate services. 

“Our message to people viewing indecent images of children is get help or get caught.”

More information about the Stop It Now - http://www.stopitnow.org.uk/