What is Exploitation?

Exploitation

Exploitation is a type of child abuse. It means using children or young people unfairly, taking advantage of them for selfish reasons. Sometimes a person will target a child and try to trick them into trusting them by being giving things, like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection. This is known as ‘grooming‘ and it is used for both criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation. When they have gained the child’s trust the adult abuses their power for their own needs.

Organised criminal gangs groom children and young people because children are less suspicious and are given lighter sentences than adults. Criminals may be more likely to groom children who live in poverty, face exclusion from mainstream school, or are in care, young people in gangs can also be exploited. It can happen to anyone.

Children can also be taken to other places, either close by or far away, to be exploited, this is known as Trafficking.

Whether the child is exploited for sexual reasons, using them to do work for nothing or to join in with criminal activity, such as selling drugs children are not to blame for the abuse they experience.

What is child sexual exploitation?

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of child abuse. It happens when a young person is encouraged, or forced, to take part in sexual activity in exchange for something. Child sexual exploitation involves others getting children or young people to do sexual favours either for themselves, or other people, and this might include being encouraged or forced into having sex, watching others have sex or being touched.

Possible signs of grooming and CSE

• Using drugs/alcohol
• Displaying inappropriate sexualised behaviour, such as dressing in a sexualised manner
• Sending sexualised images by mobile phone "sexting"
• Unexplained physical harm, like bruises and cigarette burns
• Unexplained gifts or possessions

Being in a relationship and thinking about having a sexual relationship is normal, but sexual exploitation is not normal and is a form of abuse.
If you are worried for yourself or a friend, please talk to an adult you trust. Remember: if you are in any danger or feel unsafe, get in contact with the police immediately on 999.

Where can you find help?

ERASE is a website (Educate and Raise Awareness of Sexual Exploitation) where you can find lots of advice on Sexual Exploitation. The website can be found at www.eraseabuse.org [External Link].

Say Something- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Campaign

Say Something If You See Something is an ongoing national campaign to raise awareness of how the business and wider community can be misused for child exploitation and trafficking.  The website can be found at www.stop-CE.org [external link]

If you would like to talk to someone in confidence you can contact ChildLine [External Link]– You can call them free on 0800 1111 and this number won’t appear on a telephone bill. Available 24 hours a day.

You can find out more about sexual exploitation by visiting the Barnado's website [External Link].

If you have concerns about a child's welfare you can contact Children’s Social Care by telephone on 01325 406222