The true scale of the maltreatment of children in the UK is revealed by child abuse experts today who say that one in 10 suffers physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.

an estimated 1 million children a year in the UK.

Between 4 and 16% of children suffer physical abuse, such as hitting, punching, beating and burning,

figures come from research in high-income countries

Some 5-10% of girls and 1-5% of boys have been subjected to penetrative sex, usually by a family friend or relative.

Around 10% of children suffer emotional abuse every year, the paper says, which includes persistently being made to feel worthless, unwanted or scared. More still - up to 15% a year - suffer neglect, defined as the failure of their parents or carers to meet the child's basic emotional or physical needs or ensure their safety.

the phenomenon is too common, too surreptitious and too deeply rooted in deprivation and other social ills