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Contact the NSPCC Helpline
You can contact our Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].
Our voice Helpline is available 10am–4pm Monday to Friday. You can email [email protected] at any time for free. You have the option to remain anonymous.
If we have not yet responded to you and your concerns for the safety of a child increase, please contact the police or local Children’s Services directly. Please be assured that we'll action all contacts that our Helpline receives.
Under 18?
Childline offers free, confidential advice and support whatever your worry, whenever you need help.
On this page
- What is child sexual exploitation (CSE)?
- Types of child sexual exploitation
- Signs of child sexual exploitation
- If a child reveals abuse
- Effects of child sexual exploitation
- Report child sexual exploitation
- Support for parents, children and young people
- Preventing child sexual exploitation
- Help if you're worried about your behaviour
Finding out your child has been sexually exploited can be distressing and you might not know what to do next. Young people often trust their abuser and don’t know that what’s happening is wrong or are unable to tell anyone due to fear, intimidation and violence. We have advice to help you keep children and young people safe from sexual exploitation and provide support if abuse has already happened.
Worried about a child?
Contact our Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].
What is child sexual exploitation?
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. It happens when a child or young person is coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity in exchange for things that they may need or want like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection.
Children and young people are often tricked into believing they're in a loving and consensual relationship so the sexual activity may appear consensual. This is called grooming and is a type of abuse. They may trust their abuser and not understand that they're being abused. CSE does not always involve physical contact, and can also occur through the use of technology.
Children and young people can be trafficked into or within the UK for sexual exploitation. They're moved around the country and abused by being forced to take part in sexual activities, often with more than one person. Young people in gangs can also be sexually exploited.
Sometimes abusers use violence and intimidation to frighten or force a child or young person, making them feel as if they've no choice. They may lend them large sums of money they know can't be repaid or use financial abuse or blackmail to control them.
Anybody can be a perpetrator of CSE, no matter their age, gender or race. The relationship could be framed or viewed as friendship, someone to look up to or romantic. Children and young people who are exploited may also be made to 'find' or coerce others to join groups.
It's important to recognise that although the age of consent is 16 years old, children and young people over 16 can be exploited. Child sexual exploitation is a very complex form of abuse. It can be difficult for parents and carers to understand and hard for the young person to acknowledge that they are being exploited.
Types of child sexual exploitation
CSE can happen in person or online. An abuser will gain a child's trust or control them through violence or blackmail before moving onto sexually abusing them. This can happen in a short period of time.
When a child is sexually exploited online they might be persuaded or forced to:
- send or post sexually explicit images of themselves
- film or stream sexual activities
- have sexual conversations.
Once an abuser has images, video or copies of conversations, they might use threats and blackmail to force a young person to take part in other sexual activity. They may also share the images and videos with others or circulate them online.
Gangs use sexual exploitation:
- to exert power and control
- for initiation
- to use sexual violence as a weapon.
Children or young people might be invited to parties or gatherings with others their own age or adults and given drugs and alcohol. They may be assaulted and sexually abused by one person or multiple perpetrators. The sexual assaults and abuse can be violent, humiliating and degrading. It's important to remember an intoxicated person cannot give consent to sexual activity.
- Unhealthy or inappropriate sexual behaviour.
- Being frightened of some people, places or situations.
- Being secretive.
- Sharp changes in mood or character.
- A sudden change in their family relationships/dynamics.
- Having money or things they can't or won't explain, such as hotel key cards or unexplained gifts.
- Physical signs of abuse, like bruises or bleeding in their genital or anal area.
- Sudden change in physical appearance including clothes and hygiene levels.
- Alcohol or drug misuse.
- Sexually transmitted infections.
- A sudden and urgent request to go onto contraception or to obtain the ‘morning after pill’.
- Pregnancy.
- Having an older person they view as their boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Staying out late or overnight.
- Having a new group of friends.
- Missing from home or care, or stopping going to school or college.
- Hanging out with older people, other vulnerable people or in antisocial groups.
- Involved in a gang.
- Involved in criminal activities like selling drugs or shoplifting.
They may not know where they are, because they've been moved around the country, and seem frightened, confused or angry. They may feel unable to reach out for support or not know how to start the conversation.
A child might know they're being sexually exploited. They might be worried or confused and less likely to speak to an adult they trust. If you're worried about a child and want to talk to them, we have advice on having difficult conversations.
Worried about a child?
Contact our Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].
If a child reveals abuse
If a child talks to you about sexual exploitation it's important to:
- listen carefully to what they're saying
- see what immediate help they may need, such as medical attention
- let them know they've done the right thing by telling you
- tell them it's not their fault
- say you'll take them seriously
- don't confront the alleged abuser
- explain what you'll do next
- report what the child has told you as soon as possible.
If you suspect child sexual exploitation is happening, it's important you seek support. There are some things you can do to help your child, like gathering any information that may be useful in an investigation such as names, ages, social media handles, telephone numbers or vehicle reg numbers.
Effects of child sexual exploitation
Both sexual exploitation in person and online can have long-term effects on a child or young person. They may:
- struggle with trust and be fearful of forming new relationships
- become isolated from family and friends
- have struggles understanding healthy relationships and boundaries
- fail exams or drop out of education
- become pregnant at a young age
- experience unemployment
- have mental health problems
- self-harm or attempt suicide
- misuse alcohol and drugs
- take part in criminal behaviour
- experience homelessness.
Our services can support children and young people who have experienced sexual exploitation to help them get support and receive the care they need.
Report child sexual exploitation
To report sexual exploitation:
- call 999 if the child is at immediate risk or call 101 if you think a crime has been committed
- call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online
- call our Helpline on 0808 800 5000 - our dedicated child protection specialists will be able to advise and take any necessary action.
Support
For parents and carers
Finding out your child has been sexually exploited can be frightening and distressing. But there's help for you and your family.
Ivison Trust works with parents and carers of children who are, or at risk of, being sexually exploited. You can call them for confidential help and advice on 0113 240 3040 or fill in their online form.
Barnardo's can support both children and parents through their direct services across the UK.
For children and young people
We run a therapeutic service for children who have experienced sexual abuse:
- Letting the Future In
Find out more about all our services for children, including how to get in touch with ones in your area.
Other organisations that can help include Barnardo's and The Children's Society. They run services for children and young people across the UK.
Children and young people can contact:
- Fearless to report crime anonymously
- Runaway helpline for young people thinking about running away or have left home
- Victim Support if they've experienced crime
- Report Remove if you need to remove nude images online.
How Childline can help
We understand how difficult it is for children to talk about sexual exploitation and abuse. Whether it's happening now or happened in the past, Childline can be contacted 24/7. Calls to 0800 1111 are free and confidential. Children can also contact Childline online.
Childline has information and advice for children and young people about:
Teaching children and young people about healthy relationships and how to stay safe online can help prevent sexual abuse and exploitation. These foundations can be laid from a young age. Our PANTS rules are a simple way to teach younger children how to stay safe from abuse. Your child may have already had the talks in school, but it’s important to talk to them at home too. We have tips and advice on how to have difficult conversations.
It's also important to make sure children and young people know there are trusted adults, including outside home that they can speak to about their worries, such as school or Childline.
You can ask your child's school to book our free Speak out Stay safe programme for primary school children. The programme includes an online assembly, lesson plans and a our trained volunteers deliver workshops, covering topics like bullying and abuse, but without using any scary words or adult language.
If you're worried about gangs, it can be difficult to know what to do to help protect young people. Whether a child is thinking about joining a gang, is already involved or want to leave, they need help and support. You can contact our Helpline for details of organisations near you that can give you support and advice.
Encourage transparency in what your children are doing online. You can keep gaming devices and computers and laptops with webcams in the living room or family spaces. Use parental controls and keep up-to-date on the apps and games children and young people are using.
We know parents and carers of d/Deaf and disabled children and young people can worry about keeping their children safe from abuse. Some children and young people may not be aware of the dangers of abuse. Or aren't able to let someone know they're not safe because it may be harder for them to show or tell someone.
We have a range of guides you can download to help children learn the PANTS rules without using any scary words. You can look at these together and talk about what PANTS means. We've also got tips and advice to help you answer some of the common questions children and young people ask.
For d/Deaf children and young people we have a video in British Sign Language (BSL) with subtitles to help you share the PANTS rules. Our video on contacting Childline using SignVideo is a useful tool to help you explain different types of abuse and give children and young people the knowledge of who they can contact if they're worried.
Help if you're worried about your behaviour
If you're worried about your behaviour, help is available.
If you are, or think you might, sexually exploit or abuse a child or young person, contact Stop it now!, a free helpline offering information, guidance and support.
- Call Stop it now!
People living in the UK and Ireland can call for free on 0808 1000 900 (Monday – Thursday 9am-9pm and Friday 9am-5pm). - Message online
Stop it now! have a secure messaging service available 24-hours a day.
You can also call us for information and advice on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected].
