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Reproduced with kind permission from Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Partnership.

Every year thousands of children in the UK, some as young as 10, are exploited. This could be being groomed into county lines drug trafficking or facing sexual abuse in their own community.

No matter what type of exploitation is it, an adult will target a child, trick them into trusting them, and then abuse their power for their own needs. This is known as ‘grooming’ and it is used for both criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation.

Groomers can target children in person or online through:

• social media networks
• text messages and messaging apps, like WhatsApp
• email
• text, voice and video chats in forums, games and apps

Some signs to look out for:

• Are they being secretive about how they’re spending their time?
• Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend?
• Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain?
• Are they drinking or taking drugs?
• Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices?
• Do they seem upset or withdrawn?
• Are they using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know?
• Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time?

A child won’t know they’re being groomed; they will trust and defend the abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. In addition, the groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it.

Further information and support can be found on Eyes Open

Professionals and society now recognise that children who are victims of exploitation need to be protected not prosecuted.

If you spot any signs of exploitation and are worried that a child is being exploited, please report it.

If a child is in immediate danger call 999.

If it isn’t an emergency you can report grooming:

• online
• by calling 101
• if you have a hearing or speech impairment, textphone service on 18001 101.
• Report crime anonymously – Crimestoppers UK
• Children’s social care 0151 606 2008 Monday – Friday 9am-5pm, outside of these hours call 0151 677 6557
• Catch 22’s Missing from home helpline is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 0808 168 9698

 

Further advice and support can be found by visiting the organisations below.