FOI reference: FOI-2026-3741
You asked
Please provide the most recent available data, and historical data where available, showing:
- The estimated number or percentage of children/adults reporting childhood sexual abuse where the perpetrator was their biological father.
- The equivalent figure for stepfathers.
- Any breakdown by male and female victims.
- Figures specifically relating to rape or penetrative sexual abuse by fathers/stepfathers.
- Any equivalent information concerning physical abuse by biological fathers or stepfathers.
- Whether ONS data records pregnancy resulting from intra-familial sexual abuse.
- Whether ONS data records children conceived or born as a result of such abuse.
Where information is not collected or cannot be broken down in this way, please confirm this.
I would also be grateful for references or links to the datasets from which any supplied figures originate
We said
Thank you for your request.
We produce crime statistics from two main sources: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and Home Office police recorded crime (PRC). These sources focus on crime as it is experienced by victims.
We publish breakdowns of victims' experience of sexual abuse before the age of 18 years by the relationship of the perpetrator in our abuse during childhood, year ending March 2024 appendix tables:
Table 16 shows the relationship of perpetrator to people aged 18 and over who experienced abuse before the age of 18, by type of abuse and sex.
Table 17 shows the relationship of perpetrator (under 18) to people aged 18 and over who experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18, by type of abuse and sex.
Table 18 shows the relationship of perpetrator (18 and over) to people aged 18 and over who experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18, by type of abuse and sex.
These tables include the category of father, however, the questionnaire does not distinguish between biological and stepfather. This means that there are no further breakdowns held for this category.
The 2015 to 2016 Crime Survey for England and Wales ran for the first time a module of questions asking adults whether they were abused as a child. Please see our Abuse during childhood Appendix tables: Year ending March 2016. Table A3 includes data regarding the survivor-perpetrator relationship for abuse before the age of 16. This table includes separate categories for father and stepfather.
You may also be interested in our Child abuse in England and Wales: March 2020 publication which includes the following data sets:
Child sexual abuse – Appendix tables: Year ending March 2019 - Tables 12b includes data on the relationship of perpetrator to adults who experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16.
Child physical abuse – Appendix tables: Year ending March 2019 – Table 11 includes data on the relationship of perpetrators who experienced abuse before the age of 16.
These tables include separate categories for father and stepfather.
Unfortunately, we do not hold data relating to pregnancy, or children conceived or born as a result from intra-familial sexual abuse.
We are currently exploring the feasibility of a new national survey to provide data on the scale and nature of child abuse. More information on this is available in our update Exploring the feasibility of a survey measuring child abuse: May 2026.
If you have any further crime-related queries, please contact us at CrimeStatistics@ons.gov.uk and we will endeavour to help.