New Philanthropy Capital_image_ childs do not disturb sign For each high-profile child abuse case in the press there are thousands of stories that do not make the news. These invisible victims include runaways, children caught up in domestic violence, and adult survivors of childhood abuse.

NPC's report, Not seen and not heard, aims to increase people’s understanding of the issues that can lead to child abuse and to show donors how they can help stop it.

Did you know?

It is estimated that at least 80,000 children are abused each year, involving emotional, physical, sexual abuse or neglect.
Around half of all people receiving mental health services report abuse as children.

Donors can choose a number of different approaches to help stop child abuse, as well as helping to support people who have been abused as children. These approaches include:

teaching children, from pre-school age to teenagers, how to identify abuse and to protect themselves;
treating abusers to help them stop abusing; and
protecting vulnerable teenagers living away from home who are being sexually exploited or are at risk of exploitation.

‘A helpline worker told me about a child who had called us asking about French lessons. As the call went on it turned out that the reason she wanted to learn French was that she was being so badly bullied she had decided her only option was to run away to France.’
Tris Lumley, Senior research analyst

Charity insight

''Three out of four children tell no one they have been abused.''

NSPCC's CHILDLINE & THERE4ME are the only two national listening services in the UK. They provide advice and counselling to children and operate using a high level of confidentiality.