Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or nonpenetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing, and touching outside clothing. It may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in the production of sexual images, forcing children to look at sexual images or watch sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).
Like all forms of child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation:
- can affect any child or young person (male or female) under the age of 18 years, including 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally consent to have sex;
- can still be abuse even if the sexual activity appears consensual;
- can include both contact (penetrative and non-penetrative acts) and non-contact sexual activity;
- can take place in person or via technology, or a combination of both;
- can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and may, or may not, be accompanied by violence or threats of violence;
- may occur without the child or young person’s immediate knowledge (through others copying videos or images they have created, for example using Artificial Intelligence programmes)
- can be perpetrated by individuals or groups, males or females, and children or adults.
- is typified by some form of power imbalance in favour of those perpetrating the abuse. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.
Child sexual exploitation: definition and guide for practitioners - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The grooming line
Targeting stage
- observing the child/ young person
- selection of child/ young person
- befriending - being nice, giving gifts, caring, taking an interest, giving compliments, etc
- gaining and developing trust
- sharing information about young people between other abusive adults
Friendship forming stage
- making young people feel special
- giving gifts and rewards
- spending time together
- listening and remembering
- keeping secrets
- being there for them
- 'no-one understands you like I do', being their best friend
- testing out physical contact - accidental touching
- offering protection
Loving relationship stage
- being their boyfriend/ girlfriend
- establishing a sexual relationship
- lowering their inhibitions - eg showing them pornography
- engaging them in forbidden activities - eg going to clubs, drinking, taking drugs
- being inconsistent - building up hope and then punishing them
Abusive relationship stage
- becomes an 'unloving' sexual relationship
- withdrawal of love and friendship
- reinforcing dependency on them - stating young person is 'damaged goods'
- Isolation from family and friends
- trickery and manipulation - 'you owe me'
- threatening behaviour
- physical violence
- sexual assaults
- making them have sex with other people
- giving them drugs
- playing on the young person's feeling of guilt, shame and fear
The above from Barnardos breaks down the grooming cycle for CSE into 4 stages. The targeting stage, friendship stage, loving relaitonship stage and then the abusive relationship stage.
Sexual Assault Referral Centre
When a child may have been sexually assaulted, we always need to consider the role of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).
For Leeds this is Hazlehurst Centre: hazlehurstcentre.paediatric@nhs.net www.hazlehurstcentre.org
- invite SARC to strategy meetings,
- be conscious of language and understand the child did not have a choice,
- consider the coercion and control,
- 16/17 year olds will be seen within the SARC by an adult service (same place)
- examination is not just forensic, it can be for non-recent incidents,
- allow for choice in examination,
- using leaflets and storyboards to help inform the young person.
- Children, young people, and their families must show a great deal of bravery to attend the SARC and the staff at SARC want to make their time in the service as relaxed and positive as possible.
Leaflets for Adults and Young People: Yorkshire and the Humber-pdf (hazlehurstcentre.org)
Leaflets for PEADS - Parent and Carers: Yorkshire and the Humber-pdf (hazlehurstcentre.org)
Comic guide for children visiting SARC: Yorkshire and the Humber-pdf (hazlehurstcentre.org)
Grooming and consent:
Sexual exploitation is sexual abuse and we always need to focus on the fact that this is never the child’s fault.
It is important to understand a child’s perception of consent and healthy relationships. Consider learning needs/neurodiversity.
The grooming cycle is powerful for a child and will often make them feel as if they have consented to the sexual activity. Children can also presume that rape is only ever violent and may not believe that what happened to them is classed as rape.
Be trauma informed-remember ‘fight, flight, freeze, flop/feint’. Children will not always fight back when scared, this does not imply consent.
Language:
Be conscious of the words and terms we use as professionals. Sometimes we can unintentionally use victim blaming phrases such as ‘lifestyle choice' or ‘putting themselves at risk’
Are boys seen as more resilient when it comes to exploitation? Be conscious of gender stereotyping and assumptions.
The term engaging – link it to trauma informed approach- consider why we have we not been able to build a relationship.
Thinking about the terms ‘choice’ and ‘risk taking behaviours’. These are victim blaming.
Children cannot be sex workers. Children cannot consent to exploitation.
Areas for consideration
Intersectionality:
Intersectionality refers to added layers of vulnerability. We need to be aware that someone's needs won't just stem from sexuality or gender but can be linked to ethnicity and other parts of their identity such as neurodiversity. For example a 13 year old girl who is mixed race, LGBTQ and has ADHD, will needa an appraoch that addresses all aspects of her identity. Services need a holistic approach. It is difficult to support people when different services respond differently in what they can offer which will result in a lot of professional involvement.
Online sexual exploitation:
Sexual exploitation can occur online and this is complex.
Perpetrators will try and move conversations with the child to different platforms such as snapchat and WhatsApp where it is easier to avoid detection.
It is important to always try and get as much detail as possible, screenshots/photos of that platform, usernames etc
We need to try and understand a child’s internet and social media use. What apps/platforms are they on and what this means to them. Removing a child’s phone may be the only safe option, but remember this can seem like a punsihment for the child being exploited.
Peer on peer exploitation:
This can be hard to address from a police perspective
There are possibly two victims, we need to be conscious of gender assumptions.
This needs exploration and professional curiosity to fully understand dynamics of relationships.
Trauma Bonds:
Many children who are exploited form a ‘trauma bond’ with their abuser, whom they can feel a deep sense of loyalty towards. Trauma bonds occur when a person feels threatened and receives harsh treatment together with small acts of kindness, they also feel isolated and believe there is no escape. This occurs in exploitative relationships, so the child or young person may show support for their abuser, feel negative towards those trying to rescue them and have an inability to engage in ways to detach themselves from abusers.