A leading Dundee charity has offered a shocking insight into the city’s increasing problem with sexual crime.
Police Scotland has revealed that sexual crime in the city has rocketed by 60% in a year, with the number of reported rapes soaring by 44%.
The figures were sadly no surprise to the Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Dundee and Angus, which is struggling to cope with demand for its aid.
Over the past three years it has seen a 56% rise in the number of “survivors” seeking help to overcome the abuse they have faced.
Women and children have reported a range of life-damaging crimes from sexual harassment and exploitation to sexual assault and rape.
Some 3% of all service users who sought support during the past year reported that they had been victims of ritual abuse.
It means that they have faced organised and sustained sexual and psychological abuse over a long period usually at the hands of more than one abuser.
A full third of those who turned to the charity reported that they had been raped, while a little more than a third said they had been victims of historical child sexual abuse.
The charity also revealed that 74% of all women and girls who had approached the service in the past year reported that they experienced the abuse more than a year ago.
It said it would be vital that the city now looks closely at Police Scotland’s figures to assess whether they relate to new or historical crimes.
A spokeswoman told The Courier: “Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy and it can take many years for survivors to come forward to seek support.
“The issue has, however, been thrown into the public domain by coverage of high-profile cases of abuse and this has made it more acceptable to speak about.
“We would encourage survivors to reach out and seek support.”
Dundee-based MSP Jenny Marra has demanded an urgent investigation into the “alarming rise in sex crimes” across the city.