Cases of suspected child abuse have increased by about 30% between 2010 and 2011, although this is due in part to people being less afraid of taking such charges to the police, says the Government Agency for Child Protection.
Vísir reports that charges of child abuse filed with the police have increased from 41 in 2010 to 58 in 2011. At the same time, the number of cases of child abuse reported to The Office of the Ombudsman for Children have increased from 428 in 2010 to 461 in 2011. About 40% of child abuses cases reported to the Government Agency for Child Protection go on to the police.
Björgvin Björgvinsson, the head of the sex crimes division of the capital area police, says he believes cases of child abuse have increased. Þorbjörg Sveinsdóttir, an expert at the Government Agency for Child Protection, agrees, but adds that people are also less afraid of going to the police with charges of child abuse as well.
She pointed out that the use of the internet in child abuse cases has risen, contributing to the number increasing. She also believes child abuse has risen sharply since the 2008 economic crash, and although she could not say whether the cases of child abuse have gotten more serious, she did say that there have been some grave instances reported.
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