Child Sexual Exploitation

1
Child Sexual Exploitation Moral Panic or
Legitimate Concern?

• Stuart Allardyce
• Deputy Childrens Service Manager
• Barnardos Skylight / Lighthouse
• stuart.allardyce_at_barnardos.org.uk

• Lisa Gamble
• Policy and Research lead for CSE
• Barnardos Scotland
• lisa.gamble_at_barnardos.org.uk

2
What is a moral panic?

• A condition, episode, person or group of persons
  that becomes defined as a threat to societal
  values and interests
• The threat is presented in a stylized and
  stereotypical fashion by the mass media
• The novelty of the issue is emphasised in media
  coverage
• The media coverage of the threat is out of all
  proportion to the actual threat
• moral entrepreneurs (e.g. academics, editors,
  politicians, judiciary religious figures, the
  third sector, police chiefs, etc) present the
  threat in similar ways in relation to rates,
  sources of the problem, future potential
  escalation and solutions
• the condition then disappears, submerges or
  deteriorates or becomes more invisible. (Cohen
  1972, Hall et al. 1978)

3
Key Facts about CSE

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vb-LcS0fwTxgfeatur
  eplayer_embedded

4
Definition of CSE

• In practice, the sexual exploitation of
  children and young people under 18 might involve
  young people being coerced, manipulated, forced
  or deceived into performing and/or others
  performing on them, sexual activities in exchange
  for receiving some form of material goods or
  other entity (for example, food, accommodation,
  drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gifts, affection).
• National Guidance for Child Protection In
  Scotland 2014

5
(No Transcript)
6
Scotland

• In the last 2 years, there have been a couple of
  significant publications in Scotland
• CELCIS (2012), based on a small sample of 75 LAC
• 8 were known or confirmed to have experienced
  CSE during the last year.
• 21 were suspected, known, or confirmed to have
  experienced CSE during the last year.
• Rigby and Murie (2013), case file analysis 39
  accommodated children in Glasgow.
• - 33 C YP were at substantial risk through
  sexual exploitation.

7
Risk indicators may include
Staying out late/missing episodes Multiple
callers (unknown adults/older young people)
Expressions of despair (self-harm, overdose,
eating disorder, challenging behaviour,
aggression) Disclosure of sexual/physical
assault followed by withdrawal of allegation
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Peers
involved in sexual exploitation Drugs/alcohol
misuse Use of the Internet /mobile phone that
causes concern Unsuitable/inappropriate
accommodation Isolation from peers/social
networks Lack of positive relationship with a
protective/nurturing adult Exclusion from
school or unexplained absences from or not
engaged in school/college/training Living
independently and failing to respond to attempts
by worker to keep in touch High number of
sexual partners.
8
Vulnerabilities

• Being part of a minority group
• Gang and group associated
• Low parental aspirations and care giving
• Teenage parenthood
• Young carers
• Substance misuse
• Going missing from home/care
• Being LAAC
• NOT being LAAC

• Childhood sexual abuse
• Living in a deprived community
• Homelessness
• Early onset of sexual activity
• Mental health issues
• Involvement in criminality
• Multiple and fractured attachment patterns

9
Significant Risk Indicators

• Presence of an older adult or relationship with a
  controlling adult.
• Physical or emotional abuse by adult or
  controlling adult.
• Entering and leaving vehicles driven by unknown
  adults.
• Being taken to flats, houses and/or hotels and
  engaging in sexual activity.

• Frequenting areas known for on/off commercial
  sexual exploitation.
• Physical injury or symptoms of sexual/ physical
  abuse.
• Children under 13 (?) asking for sexual health
  advice.

10
Child Protection and Adolescence

• Abuse and neglect of young people is sometimes
  being missed or overlooked as practitioners and
  systems focus on protecting younger children
  (Hicks and Stein, 2010 Stein et al., 2009)
• Professionals are more likely to underestimate
  the risks of maltreatment to older young people
• Evidence suggests failure to recognise
  supervisory neglect and emotional abuse in
  particular
• Overall in assessing young people (compared to
  children) professionals were
• more focused on young peoples own contribution
  to situations
• more likely to see young people as competent and
  resilient
• more likely to see the young person as putting
  themselves at risk (Rees et al. 2010)

11
Sexual Exploitation and Offending

• 2011 study of 552 sexually exploited children in
  Derby found
• 40 of child sexual exploitation victims in Derby
  were involved in offending behaviour.
• 50 of the offending group had committed their
  first offence by 14 and 75 by 15.
• 70 of offenders re-offended, with one quarter
  committing 10 or more offences (UCL 2011)

12
Sexual abuse and acting out

• Survivors of abuse often describe aggressive
  behaviour, offending and anti-social behaviour as
  one important way they responded to the pain and
  anger they felt relating to experiences of abuse
  (Lev-Wiesel 2008)
• Id been angry like with everything, and I
  blamed it on everybody else ... I think its more
  to like see something destroyed, because part of
  yous been destroyed. Survivor (Nelson 2009)

13
The Links between Crime and Sexual Exploitation

• Girls (who experience sexual exploitation)will
  use crime as a resource to make themselves safe,
  knowing that in being arrested, they will be
  removed from the situation in which they find
  themselves, for example, shoplifting in front of
  security guards.
• Some offending is also a means by which girls and
  young women obtain a measure of justice for the
  crimes committed against them. The most common
  story recounted by practitioners across the
  country was one in which a young woman would
  commit criminal damage against the property of
  her exploiters. (Phoenix 2012)

14
.boys and young men?

• significant differences between male and female
  service users in terms of youth offending 48 of
  males had a youth offending record, compared with
  28 of females (Cockbain et al, 2014).
• young males involved in criminal activity may be
  viewed as a potential risk to others rather than
  as would be the case with females their
  criminal behaviour being assessed as an indicator
  of other vulnerabilities such as experiencing CSE
  (McNaughton Nicholls et al, 2014).
• Self-harm males may express their anger
  externally, and self harm in different ways from
  females as a response to CSE. For example, males
  may intentionally provoke a fight as a means of
  sustaining an injury, which may not be recognised
  by adults as a method of self-harm.
• (McNaughton Nicholls et al, 2014).

15
High Profile Cases

• ROTHERHAM
• Manchester
• Rochale
• Oxford
• Sheffield
• Bristol
• Birmingham
• Derby
• London
• And Edinburgh, Glasgow.

16
Discussion point

• What does practice with children involved with
  sexual exploitation look like at a time when this
  issue now has a significant media profile?
• Are our practice and organizational responses to
  this issue proportionate?

17

• moving forward?
• The same patterns of abuse are seen, the same
  views of victims and parents, and similar long
  lead-ins before effective intervention. For all
  these everywhere to be the result of inept,
  uncaring and weak staff, and leaders who need to
  go seems highly improbable. The overall failings
  were those of lack of knowledge and understanding
  around a concept (of CSE) that few understood and
  where few knew how it could be tackled, but also
  organisational weaknesses which prevented the
  true picture from being seen. It is important
  this is recognised so organisations can, and
  continue to, get it right on CSE, and can respond
  better when the next new challenge occurs.
• Alan Bedford, Forward, SCR into CSE in
  Oxfordshire, para. V.

18
What we need to do

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?featureplayer_embed
  dedv75T_bgSgW8k