Thirty-three men from Cheshire called a special helpline to get support for their addiction to looking at child abuse images on the internet over the past 12 months.
While 37 people from Chester visited a website to access self-help tools and resources to tackle their disturbing viewing habits.
The shocking figures have been released by child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which runs the confidential helpline to offer anonymous support for people worried about their own or someone else’s online sexual behaviour.
Calls made to the charity’s dedicated Stop it Now! phone number between October 1, 2015, and September 30 this year represent a 10% increase in the volume received from the county over the previous 12-month period.
A further 12 adults – who the charity says are typically wives or parents – from Cheshire rang to voice their fears about others’ online activity.
Call for better education
Chief Superintendent Chris Green, from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Titan said: “Every one of us has a part to play in putting a stop to the sexual exploitation of children online and I would encourage parents, grandparents, teachers, health professionals, social services and any other adults to take time to better educate themselves.
“Titan, working alongside forces across the region, is committed to the protection and wider safeguarding of young people, and in doing so we will work with partner agencies to, where possible, prevent such abuse and investigate such incidents.”
These figures come at a time when the police are reporting an escalation, across the UK, in online viewing and sharing of child abuse images.
Stop it Now! has made a series of thought-provoking films, which have been viewed over 3,000,000 times, as part of its child sexual abuse prevention campaign.
Founder and expert Donald Findlater said: “We have worked with thousands of men after they have been arrested – all with bitter regrets about the harm they have done to their families, to the victims in the images they viewed, and to themselves.
“We need the tens of thousands of men still viewing these images to realise that what they are doing is illegal and to make sure they stop.
“But we also want to hear from wives, partners, parents who are worried about a loved one’s sexual behaviour online. We must not turn a blind eye to this behaviour.”
