The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice has been part of a report calling for Scotland to pioneer a public health response to harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people.
The Expert Group on Preventing Sexual Offending Involving Children and Young People report calls for more preventative activity tailored for boys and young men, given that the majority of adolescents displaying harmful sexual behaviour are male.
As secretariat to the expert group, Fiona Dyer from the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice welcome the publication of the report and the announcement that Scotland is developing a national strategy to tackle sexual offending by children and young people.
Fiona says: "The evidence shows that around 1/3 of sexual offences against children are committed by children and that sexual offending by children is on the increase in Scotland. These statistics are concerning and coordinated support needs to be offered to already stretched services to address this behaviour, support those involved and provide appropriate assessments and interventions. I am confident that, if fully implemented, the recommendations of the expert group will start to address this issue to ensure our children and young people, families and professionals receive the help and support they need."
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