HUNDREDS of children from across Wales have contacted the NSPCC charity Childline to talk about the abuse they have suffered or are suffering.

Over the past year Childline has delivered 15,515 counselling sessions and in 2,267 of those counselling sessions children revealed abuse for the first time, ever.

And of these, a fifth of disclosures took place during December 2021 and January 2022, with the youngest child just nine-years-old.

More than 363 children from Wales asked for help in the same period.

As the Christmas school holidays are fast approaching the charity is gearing up to keep its 13 Childline bases open 24/7 over the festive period, so they can be there whenever a child chooses to disclose.

When children talk about the sexual, emotional, physical or domestic abuse affecting them for the first time with Childline counsellors, often the same emotions and feelings are described. These include shame, being scared, or worried they were the ones that had done something wrong. Others shared they didn’t know how to tell adults in their life.

Last December a boy, aged 16, from Wales told a Childline counsellor: “Just before Christmas my parents decided they couldn’t stand being together any more. It has been hard going between two different homes over Christmas and they have argued about every single arrangement. I am also trying to support my little sister who is finding it difficult too. I know they were arguing more and more, but I just wish they could have worked things out.”

And a 12-year-old boy from Wales said: “Ever since my mum died, dad’s been more and more controlling and stressed. I’m dreading having to spend Christmas with him as this will be just another excuse for him to drink a lot – and he gets easily upset when drunk. It’s hard to know what his mood will be like, but if he’s feeling angry he might take it out on me as he did a couple of times before. I don’t want to be taken to foster care, so I pretend like all is ok at home when it’s not. How can I keep safe during Christmas?”

The NSPCC is releasing its latest Childline data about abuse as it launches its ‘Be here for children’ Christmas appeal, which shows why it is vitally important Childline stays open over the festive period, as statutory services close down.

The charity is growing increasingly concerned to see the number of children needing support, in particular for abuse and neglect, when the system is struggling to cope, and the cost-of-living crisis will likely leave more families needing help this Winter.

Last year, there were more than 89,200 reports of child sexual abuse recorded by police forces in England and Wales. The NSPCC says this data underlines the importance of UK and Welsh Governments making child protection a national priority in 2023.