MORE than 100 cases of child sexual abuse by under-18s were reported in a three-year period in Notts, it was revealed today.
Figures obtained from the force by the NSPCC show that between the start of April 2009 and the end of March 2012, 109 allegations were made against youngsters aged under 18.
Alleged crimes included rape and serious sexual assaults.
But Nottingham North MP Graham Allen said: "This is a shocking figure but there are likely to be many more cases where the victim hasn't reported it.
"Reasons for this can include fear of not being believed. Something has to be done about this."
The figures revealed by the children's charity show that nationally 5,028 offences by under-18s were reported in the same period.
Mr Allen believes many of the problems lie in family relations and that it was important to get to the root of the problem so the victims don't go on to commit offences themselves.
Nationally, at least three out of five of the victims knew the abuser. More than one-third of the offences were said to have been committed by a family friend or acquaintance and one in five by family members. The figures are likely to be similar in Notts.
These findings follow a report by probation inspectors last month which found that police, social workers and teachers were missing the warning signs that a child may sexually offend.
Claire Lilley, policy advisor at the NSPCC, said: "We hope our findings will ring alarm bells with the authorities that this is a problem which needs urgent attention."
"In some cases older children are attacking younger ones and in other cases it's sexual violence within a teenage relationship."