Violence against women and girls in England and Wales is a "national emergency", warns the British police in a new report.
Every day, the police have to deal with nearly 3,000 violent crimes against women and girls. Between 2022-2023, more than one million violent crimes against women and girls were registered by the police, who simultaneously warn that the dark figure is large.
"These are cautious estimates since we know that many crimes are not reported and in police work, we often only see the tip of the iceberg", says police chief Maggie Blyth in the report.
Crimes against children who have been subjected to sexual abuse have also increased. Between 2013 and 2022, sexual abuse increased by 435 percent - from just over 20,000 to almost 107,000 reported crimes per year.
The perpetrators are getting younger and the average age of a suspect is now 15 years old.
The UK's Home Office declared in February last year that violence against women and girls is a national threat to public safety in the country.
