Sex attacks by women up

Reports of women carrying out sex attacks on children have soared in the last five years, a British charity said on Monday. --ST PHOTO: MALCOLM MCLEOD

LONDON - REPORTS of women carrying out sex attacks on children have soared in the last five years, a British charity said on Monday.

ChildLine said there had been a 132 per cent rise in reports of female sex abuse made to its telephone helpline, compared to a 27 per cent rise in abuse by men in the same five-year period.

'Most sex abuse calls to ChildLine come from girls saying they were assaulted by a male,' said Sue Minto, head of the helpline.

'But a growing number of callers now say they were sexually abused by a female. Many would find it shocking that any woman - let alone a mother - can sexually assault a child. But they do.' Britain has been stunned by a number of high profile sex abuse cases involving women in recent months.

Last month Vanessa George, a female nursery worker and a married mother-of-two admitted a string of sexual assaults and making indecent images of children.

One of Ms George's two co-accused who admitted similar charges was a woman. -- REUTERS