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Child Exploitation

Child criminal exploitation is common in county lines and occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology… Criminal exploitation of children is broader than just county lines and includes, for instance, children forced to work on cannabis farms or to commit theft. However, many of the characteristics of county lines exploitation will be present in other forms of child criminal exploitation. Likewise, victims of county lines may also experience other overlapping forms of exploitation, such as sexual, in addition to criminal Home Office Criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults Guidance 2023  Here

Practitioners working with children should familiarise themselves with Section A of this guidance.

Potential risk indicators may include: (This list is not an exhaustive list)

  • Acquisition of money, clothes, mobile phones etc. without explanation;

  • Gang-association and/or isolation from peers and social networks;

  • Exclusion or unexplained absences from school, college or work;

  • Leaving home or care without explanation and persistently going missing or returning late;

  • Excessive receipt of texts and phone calls;

  • Returning home under the influence of drugs or alcohol;

  • Inappropriate sexualised behaviour for age and sexually transmitted infections;

  • Evidence of and suspicions of physical or sexual assault;

  • Relationships with controlling or significantly older individuals or groups;

  • Multiple callers (unknown adults or peers);

  • Frequenting areas known for sex work;

  • Concerning use of internet or other social media;

  • Increasing secretiveness around behaviours;

  • Self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being

As a parent / carer what signs should I look out for?

  • Spending time with people you don't know or aren't sure about.

  • Going missing from home or school (even for a few hours).

  • Getting into trouble at school.

  • Having unexplained new items (phones, clothes, etc.).

  • Getting involved with crimes

  • Having unexplained injuries.

  • Losing interest in their existing hobbies.

  • Becoming secretive.

  • Not telling you where they have been or why they returned late.

  • Increased activity on their phone (either calls, messages, or apps) and their response.

As a parent / carer what can I do?

  • Talk to your child and listen.

  • Try and keep lines of communication open with them.

  • Show an interest in what they do and who they are with.

  • Know who your child is with and where.

  • Talk with them about the dangers of county lines and gangs.

  • Let them know it is not their fault if this happens.

  • If you are worried that your child could come to harm, report your concerns to Customer First on 0808 800 4005.

  • If you are worried that your child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.

Useful resources and support

Homepage - UK Safer Internet Centre - Helping children and young people stay safe online

PEGS | Child to Parent Abuse Support for Parents & Carers - We’re here to reduce the impact of Child to Parent Abuse by supporting parents, training professionals, influencing policy and raising awareness.

Ivison Trust - We support families affected by child exploitation - Ivison Trust (formerly Pace) is here to support families affected by criminal and sexual exploitation.

NSPCC - Criminal Exploitation and Gangs - NSPCC advice about how to spot the signs of criminal exploitation and involvement in gangs and what support is available for children

Children's Society - The Children’s Society website provides a range of resources. Their #LookCloser campaign encourages everyone to learn the signs of child exploitation and how to report it.

CEOP Safety Centre - Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

Understanding County Lines: resources and information | Crimestoppers - Fearless enables young people to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously

Suffolk InfoLink

Money laundering and illicit finance

Child Trafficking & Modern Slavery

Child trafficking and modern slavery are child abuse.

Child Trafficking is the movement of a child for the purpose of exploitation. (A child is defined as any person under the age of 18). 

Children can be moved, harboured and transported within the UK as well as across international borders, children can be trafficked, short distances such as; room-to-room, street-to-street, town-to-town distance is irrelevant. Children can be trafficked by peers, parents, extended family members, known adults in the community, organised gangs or by strangers.

They can be trafficked for many different forms of exploitation, including:

  • Sexual Exploitation including massage parlour  

  • Domestic servitude – such as cleaning or cooking

  • Forced labour such as nail bars, car wash, hospitality industry

  • Financial Exploitation such as money laundering, credit card fraud, Benefit fraud

  • Begging or pickpocketing or other forms of petty criminal activity such as shoplifting

  • Agricultural labour - pickers and packers, including tending plants in illegal cannabis farms,

  • Drugs smuggling

  • Illegal adoptions - (children smuggling)

  • Forced Marriage 

  • Organ harvesting and, in some cases, ritual sacrifice

Trafficked children can experience multiple forms of abuse and neglect.

Physical, sexual and emotional violence can often be used to control victims of trafficking.

A child under the age of 18 cannot consent to their own exploitation

Further Information:

Criminal Exploitation Hubs in Suffolk

The Criminal Exploitation (CE) Hubs work with key partners, voluntary groups, communities, children, and families to support, disrupt, protect, and empower children and communities from the risk of criminal exploitation.

Locations will be identified through police and community led intelligence, and the Multi-Agency Criminal Exploitation Panels (MACE).

There are three teams, who adopt a targeted outreach approach to work with children, families, and communities, supporting the work of those already working in the community and partner agencies.

We want to:

  • Build stronger links with our communities and community groups to help identify, support, and protect communities from the risk of criminal exploitation in hotspot areas.

  • Help to develop understanding, skills, and expertise of criminal exploitation.

  • Help to increase self-belief in children and young people who are at risk or have been criminally exploited.

Make a Change Team

The Make a Change (MAC) team support young people up until the age of 18 years who are at risk or are experiencing child exploitation.

The team will work with all forms of exploitation, including:

Resource

Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Raising

  • Operation Makesafe | The Hydrant Programme Hotel staff across England and Wales are being trained to spot the signs of potential child sexual abuse and exploitation and are working really hard to protect young people and children. This can sometimes mean that they have conversations that feel difficult. We assure you it’s for the right reasons and the intention is never to cause stress or upset. 

Hotels

Taxi Drivers