Sexualisation of children ‘fuels juvenile sex crime rise’

Sharp increases in sex crimes by juveniles is part of a wider sexualisation of children, according to a leading charity.

Children At Risk in Ireland said society needed to examine if the “pendulum has swung too much” in terms of what was accepted as normal for children in society.

The Irish Examiner reported yesterday that 250 sex crimes were committed by children under 18 in 2011, compared to 195 in 2010 and 74 in 2009.