Research carried out by Barnardo's, funded by the Home Office, has found that professionals can have difficulty in identifying and engaging boys and young men.
It found that behaviour that might trigger concerns that girls are at risk is sometimes put down to "boys being boys". As a result, many victims have gone without the specialist support they need.
A total of 17 boys and young men participated in the research with an average age of 15. Barnardo's researchers also spoke to workers from agencies ranging from social work to youth offending.
Boys told the researchers that the failure to see them as possible victims of abuse had "created barriers" and stopped them talking about abuse suffered.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
