Charity received 30 calls from Devon men over child pornography
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The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has revealed calls from Devon made up 2.5 per cent of those to its helpline from men seeking help over attraction to sexual images of children.
A charity has revealed 30 men from Devon has contacted its helpline to get help with their attraction to sexual images of children.
The men called the confidential helpline run by Stop It Now! between November 2014 and October 2015.
This made up 2.5 per cent of the 1,191 calls received across the UK by the sexual abuse prevention charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
In addition to these 30 men, a further 16 adults from Devon rang over the same period to express their concerns about the online behaviour of another adult.
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The charity could not confirm how many of the calls came from the North Devon area.
The figures point to a national trend of increased online viewing and sharing of child abuse images.
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Stop It Now! has produced a series of films to deter would-be offenders from accessing child pornography.
Donald Findlater, director of research and development at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said: “However many benefits digital technology offers, we know it is also used to cause great harm.
“Whilst we have tough laws concerning child sexual abuse, and the viewing and sharing of indecent images of children, we know that tens of thousands of people (mostly men) go online to access this material regularly.
“This campaign is designed to stop as many of them as possible, by clarifying what the law says; by telling them of the harm done to children by making and viewing this material; by bluntly showing them some of the likely consequences of their behaviour on their families and themselves; and by directing those who are struggling to stop to anonymous, free, confidential resources that can help.
But the campaign needs the public to play their part – by talking about child sexual abuse and how to prevent it.
“And by being alert to the signs that a loved one may be viewing sexual images of children online and knowing how to respond.”
You can get confidential support from the Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900 or watch the charity’s videos by clicking here.
