Sharp rise in reports of children suffering emotional abuse

Since 2009/10, the number of annual contacts to the charity’s helpline from people concerned about children being emotionally abused has risen from 3,341 to 10,009.

The NSPCC, fearing that the full scale of the problem could be much greater, is now urging the government to commission a nationwide investigation into the issue. The last such study took place in 2009.

Staff on the NSPCC’s helpline have been told of parents threatening children with extreme violence, blaming them for issues such as unemployment or money problems, and telling their children that they hate them.

An NSPCC statement said: “Children who are emotionally abused may also be experiencing or be at risk of another type of abuse or neglect. The NSPCC helpline has heard from people who were repeatedly worried that the emotional abuse they witnessed would turn into physical abuse.