The NSPCC has said that it is against sex abuse suspects being given anonymity.
Peter Watt, director of the NSPCC helpline, said:
When a suspect is named in the public interest - for example when there is a child protection issue -it gives more victims an opportunity to come forward, which helps police build a stronger criminal case.
The Savile investigation revealed there were hundreds of people he had abused over half a century. Many may have felt theirs was an isolated case but could have been encouraged to speak out earlier if they had known the full extent of his crimes.
If a suspect's name is not known, the case against them may collapse through lack of witnesses, so potentially putting children at risk of harm.
The director of the NSPCC Helpline has applauded today's update on the inquiry into historic allegations of child abuse in North Wales.
Peter Watt said, "This investigation is a major step forward into probing claims of widespread child abuse".
The NSPCC launched a campaign to remind people child abuse is not just a problem from the past. Credit: NSPCC/PA Wire
"Many who have been waiting decades for justice and for their voices to be heard have now finally found the courage to come forward and we mustn't fail them this time", Mr Watt continued.
"This is potentially another sad chapter of child abuse following the devastating revelations of the Savile investigation and shows we all have to remain vigilant to protect vulnerable children".
The NSPCC is providing a dedicated round-the-clock helpline - 0800 389 6176 - which has already received 124 calls relating to this inquiry.
Survey: Local authorities unable to protect abused kids
Local authorities are unable to protect hundreds and thousands of children abused in their homes, a charity has warned.
According to the NSPCC, more than half a million children are abused or neglected at home each year - but just one in nine are protected by local authorities.
The charity estimates it would cost up to £500 million every year to provide protection plans to just a quarter of "hidden" children Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
A new report from the charity revealed that for every child subject to a protection plan, or on child protection registers, another eight have suffered recent maltreatment.
It estimated that 520,000 children were maltreated by a parent or guardian in the UK in 2011 but only 58,000 became the subject of child protection plans in that year.
Coronation Street actor Bill Roache. Credit: Doug Peters/Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC's sexual abuse programme, said the comments were "hurtful and demeaning" to people who had already suffered horrendous experiences.
"We should be concentrating on helping the thousands of children sexually abused every year who need therapy to re-build their lives", Mr Brown added.
NSPCC hopes abuse findings will ring 'alarm bells'
Claire Lilley, policy adviser at the NSPCC, said she hoped the findings would ring "alarm bells" with authorities that the problem required urgent action.
While more research needs to be done on this problem, we know that technology and easy access to sexual material is warping young people's views of what is 'normal' or acceptable behaviour.
We are treating an increasing number of children who have carried out online grooming, harassment in chatrooms and 'sexting'.
Children who are sexually abusive have often been victims of abuse, harm and trauma themselves. Exposure to this can make them think abusing someone or being sexually violent is ok.
The NSPCC obtained the statistics through Freedom of Information requests to each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
But only 34 forces supplied figures - revealing a total of 5,028 offences - so the true number of offences is likely to be higher, the NSPCC said.
Thousands of young people are committing acts of sexual abuse against other children every year, a charity warned.
The NSPCC found there were more than 5,000 cases of abuse by under 18s reported to the police in the last three years.
In some instances acts of sexual abuse were committed by children as young as five or six.
Nearly all (98%) of the 4,562 offenders were boys and where the relationship was recorded, at least three out of five of the victims knew their abuser, the NSPCC said.
More than a third of the offences were said to have been committed by a family friend or acquaintance, and one in five by family members.
Survey: 57% of primary school pupils want to feel safe online
According to a 'Have Your Say' survey commissioned by the UK Safer Internet Centre which questioned around 24,000 schoolchildren:
More than two in five (41%) of those aged 11 to 19, and over a quarter (27%) of those aged seven to 11 have seen something online in the past 12 months that they found hurtful or unpleasant.
A third (31%) of seven to 11-year-olds and 23% of 11-19-year-olds said that gossip or mean comments online had stopped them from enjoying using the internet.
More than half (57%) of primary school children and 63% of those at secondary school say they want the right to feel safe online.
Young people tell us they are experiencing all sorts of new forms of abuse on a scale never before seen. It's now clear that we are facing an e-safety timebomb, with this being one of the biggest child protection issues of our time."
The NSPCC has warned that abuse through mobile phones and the internet is one of the major issues facing young people today.
The charity is calling for all schools to provide age-appropriate lessons in online safety, with pupils themselves sharing advice on how to stay safe.
Abuse through mobile phones and the internet is said to be one of the biggest issues facing young people. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire
It also says that parents should have access to information to talk to their children about using the internet as they would drugs or the danger of strangers.
The call comes on Safer Internet Day, which promotes the responsible use of online technology and mobile phones for children and young people.
Keeping youngsters safe online is one of the biggest child protection issues of the modern world, campaigners have warned.
According to the NSPCC, young people are now experiencing new forms of abuse "on a scale never before seen".
The NSPCC wants children from as young as five or six to be given lessons on internet safety. Credit: Adam Peck/PA Wire
The charity said that its latest research had found that abuse through mobile phones and the internet is one of the major issues facing young people today.
It suggests children should be given lessons in how to use the internet safely from as young as five or six, amid concerns that rising numbers of youngsters are being exposed to online pornography, cyberbullying and forced into sending indecent images to others.
