Identifying children and young people sexually exploited through street grooming
NSPCC briefing
October 2011
This briefing highlights the children and young people who are most vulnerable to sexual exploitation, signs that may indicate a child or young person is being sexually exploited and considers the difficulties in identifying victims.
Vulnerable children and young people
Research and practice shows certain groups of children and young people are at higher risk of being sexually exploited through street grooming. Those particularly at risk include:
- missing or runaway or homeless children
- looked after children
- children with prior experience of sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect
- adolescents or pre-adolescents
- girls (boys are also at risk but current research suggests most victims are girls. Boys are considered less likely to disclose which may explain the gender imbalance and may also make boys more vulnerable)
- children not in education through exclusion or truancy or children regularly absent from school
- social exclusion from services such as health services
- children from black and minority ethnic communities
- children from migrant communities
- refugee children and unaccompanied asylum seeking children
- trafficked children
- children with mental health conditions
- children who use drugs and alcohol
- children with learning difficulties and disabilities
- children involved with gangs or living in communities where gangs are prevalent
- children from families or communities with offending behaviours
- children living in poverty or deprivation.
See our
topics pages for more information on looked after children, children with prior experience of sexual or physical abuse or neglect, trafficked children and children with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Signs
The following list of indicators is not exhaustive or definitive but it does highlight common signs which can assist professionals in identifying children or young people who may be victims of sexual exploitation. Signs include:
- unexplained gifts
- unaffordable new things (clothes, mobile) or expensive habits (alcohol, drugs)
- drug use, alcohol abuse
- going missing, running away, homelessness
- disengagement with school, not in school, truancy, exclusion
- repeat sexually transmitted infections; in girls repeat pregnancy, abortions, miscarriage
- inappropriate sexual behaviour
- sexually risky behaviour, 'swapping' sex
- association with older men
- hanging out with groups of older people, anti-social groups, other vulnerable peers
- unexplained changes in behaviour or personality (chaotic, aggressive, sexual)
- involved in abusive relationships, intimidated and fearful of certain people or situations
- contact with known perpetrators
- self-harming, suicide attempts, overdosing, eating disorders
- injuries from physical assault, physical restraint, sexual assault
- getting into/out of different cars
- seen at known places of concern
- moving around the country, appearing in new towns or cities, not knowing where they are
- gang fights, gang membership
- engagement in offending, criminal activity
- police involvement, police records.
It is not the case that a set number of signs mean definitively that a child or young person is a victim of sexual exploitation. The more signs, however, the greater the risk of sexual exploitation.
The National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People have developed a risk assessment model to indicate when intervention, support and action are required for children and young people. It describes and categorises three levels of risk factors.
See:
A sexual exploitation risk assessment framework. National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People, 2008.
Difficulties in identifying victims
It can be difficult to identify children and young people who have been or are being sexually exploited.
Children who have been sexually exploited by organised crime networks are often fearful for their safety even after being removed from the exploitative situation. These children may find it very challenging to form trusting relationships with adults in positions of power, for example with child protection professionals.
Young people may not see themselves as victims. They may believe their abuser is their boyfriend and loves them. They may be unwilling to say anything that could get their boyfriend in trouble or cause their boyfriend to become angry or break up with them.
In some situations, such as in gangs, there may be the belief that the abuse is normal and a rite of passage.
There may not be any peer support for the victim. The child's friends may all be in the same situation, under the control of an abuser or part of the network who is exploiting them. There may be nowhere for the child to go to escape their abusers.
They may be dependent on the things they receive such as money, drugs, alcohol, accommodation.
For young people who have a history of offending behaviour or are currently involved with the criminal justice system, there may also be a difficulty in recognising them as a victim and treating their experiences as a child protection issue.
If you're worried about a child and would like to talk to a professional about your concerns, we're here 24/7 by phone and online. It's free and you don't have to say who you are.
Copyright © 2011 NSPCC - All rights reserved. National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Weston House, 42
Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH. Incorporated by Royal Charter. Registered charity number 216401. NSPCC, charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC037717.