Primary school aged children are among thousands of girls under the age of consent who are being given the contraceptive implant by the NHS.
Over the last five years the implants have been administered to nearly 10,000 under 16s including at least three ten-year-olds.
The findings attracted heavy criticism from Norman Wells, Director of The Family Education Trust, who described them as “indefensible”.
Numbers
Figures were obtained after NHS Trusts across England responded to freedom of information requests by the MailOnline.
Approximately 50 twelve year-olds and 300 13 year-olds as well as 3,000 14 year-olds and 6,000 15 year-olds were given contraceptive implants over the last five years.
The MailOnline said that numbers are likely to be higher as “dozens of Trusts did not or were unable to provide full figures”.
Horrendous abuse
Norman Wells said: “Fitting young girls with contraceptive implants is quite simply indefensible. It is giving them the green light to engage in illegal sexual activity and robbing them of the protection that the age of consent law is intended to give.”
He argued that a, “casual and relaxed attitude towards underage sex is exposing young people to the most horrendous abuse”.
Mr Wells continued: “It is deeply disturbing that parents are frequently left completely in the dark and know nothing about the high-stakes gamble that is being taken on the physical and emotional well-being of their daughters.”
Urgent review needed
He said: “There needs to be an urgent review of the policies of the NHS Trusts in relation to underage sex and the provision of contraception to children.”
Last year figures revealed that in Scotland, over 3,500 girls under the age of consent have been given long-term contraception.
Figures, taken from five health boards, showed that schoolgirls as young as twelve have had contraceptive devices implanted into their arms, often without parental consent.
Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw thought the report showed that current sex education is “failing miserably”.
