ONS data, which includes emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect, suggests 13.6 million people affected
Nearly a third of women in England and Wales were abused as a child, along with just over a quarter of men, according to new figures which for the first time include emotional, physical or sexual abuse as well as neglect.
The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 31.5% of women and 26.4% of men experienced some form of abuse as a child, a total of 13.6 million – almost three in 10 – people.
Emotional abuse was the most commonly experienced type of childhood abuse among adults (22.7%), followed by physical abuse (16.5%), sexual abuse (9.1%) and neglect (7.6%).
The ONS head of crime statistics, Meghan Elkin, said: “Child abuse is appalling in all its forms and affects some of the most vulnerable in society, but it is also something that is little discussed or understood.
