Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness

Last Updated on 16th March 2023

Reading Time: 5.9 mins

March 15, 2023

The focus of this year’s National Child Exploitation Awareness Day is on child sexual exploitation. The day aims to highlight issues on the topic and encourage people to think, spot and speak out against abuse.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We all have a role to play in raising awareness about all forms of exploitation to enable safeguarding professionals, the public, parents and carers, as well as the children and young people in our lives, to recognise the signs of exploitation.

What is Child Sexual Exploitation?

Child sexual exploitation is a type of child sexual abuse which can happen to any child.
It happens when someone uses grooming behaviours (building a relationship based on trust or connection) alongside the promise of money, gifts, affection, protection, or status in exchange for sexual activity with a child or young person. This can happen in organised groups, in personal relationships, and with known perpetrators.

Anyone can be a perpetrator of child sexual exploitation regardless of their age, gender, class, or ethnicity. In some cases, perpetrators will use positions of trust to access or normalise sexual activity with vulnerable children and young people.

CSE can happen both on and offline. It is often combined with other forms of abuse including threats, physical violence, and psychological manipulation. It may have occurred even if the sexual activity appears consensual.

In many cases children and young people may respect, trust, or have a bond with their abuser. This can make detection and disclosures of abuse difficult as children may not understand or recognise the exploitation within their relationship.

Figures from the PSNI have revealed that online child grooming crimes have risen by nearly a third in 2022. Specialist officers had their busiest year since 2010, with thousands of devices being seized and tens of thousands of indecent images of children discovered. Online sexual communication with children has risen more than 30% since 2021, with possession or sharing of indecent images also increasing by 22%.

Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Brennan spoke out about this increase, saying, “Children now have access to numerous digital devices at home, meaning they are at greater risk to be targeted by online predators with sinister intentions.”

Even with the work done by specialist detectives, DCI Brennan said that child sexual exploitation remains “challenging to investigate as it often goes unreported, hidden in plain sight.” She has urged everyone to ‘trust your gut’ and get in touch with the PSNI if they’re worried about a child.

To find out more about what the PSNI says about Child Sexual Exploitation, visit their website.

What can I do?

By understanding and recognising the vulnerability factors and behavioural signs associated with child sexual exploitation, you will be better equipped to identify and respond to instances of exploitation around you both online and offline.

A vulnerability factor is a circumstance, condition, or detail which increases the likelihood that an individual will experience or be impacted by a form of abuse. Vulnerability factors for CSE may include a child who has:

Been placed in the care system
Previous experience of sexual abuse
SEND or other disabilities
Experience of alcohol and drug use

A behavioural sign is an unusual way of behaving which indicates something is wrong. Some behavioural signs of CSE might include:

Not engaging with usual friends or hobbies.
Associating with older people or being in a relationship with someone older.
Missing classes or not attending school.
Leaving home/sneaking out late or all night and being defensive about location and activities.
Odd or excessive phone calls and text messages.
New belongings which would normally be unaffordable such as mobile phones, clothes, or jewellery.
Mood swings or personality changes.
Physical signs of abuse, like bruises or burns.
Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Not sleeping, eating, or taking care of personal hygiene.
Engaging in a form of self-harm.

It should be noted that child sexual exploitation can take place without any of these behavioural signs being present.

Although the signs of exploitation among boys and girls can be similar, our expectations of their behaviour can greatly influence how we respond to these signs. For example, if we expect boys to be flirtatious or unemotional and expect girls to be shy or withholding, we may miss a cry for help or unusual behaviour.

Help & Support

If you suspect or are worried a child is being sexually exploited, contact the PSNI. If the child is in immediate danger, ring 999 (or 101 in a non-emergency).

For further help, contact:

NSPCC – 0808 800 5000

Childline – 0800 11 11

Barnardo’s SEEN project (Sexual Exploitation Ends Now) – 028 9065 8511

‘Text-a-Nurse’ scheme (confidential health advice for young people aged 11-19 in Northern Ireland):

Belfast Trust Text–A-Nurse 07507 328290
Northern Trust Text–A-Nurse 07480 635982
Southern Trust Text–A-Nurse 07507 328057
Western Trust Text–A-Nurse 07480 635984
South Eastern Trust Text–A-Nurse 07507 327263

Advice

We spoke with Dr Jacqui Montgomery-Devlin, a CSE specialist based in Northern Ireland. She shares her advice from years of safeguarding research and experience in this series of videos that will support your efforts to protect the children and young people in your care.