The Real Voices report – compiled by Stockton MP Ann Coffey in the wake of the Rochdale grooming case in 2012 – reveals that only 1,000 of the 13,000 CSE cases reported in the last six years resulted in a conviction.
In her report, Coffey warns that behaviours such as sexting – when someone sends an explicit image of themselves to someone via text message or email - are to blame for the trend.
She said: “This social norm has perhaps been fuelled by the increased sexualisation of children and young people and an explosion of explicit music videos and the normalisation of quasi-pornographic images.
“Sexting, selfies, Instagram and the like have given rise to new social norms and changed expectations of sexual entitlement and with it a confused understanding of what constitutes consent.”
In addition, Coffey found that schoolgirls were regularly approached by older men but felt powerless to stop their advances and accepted that they were part of “everyday life”.
The Labour MP also found that the victim’s clothes and references to their sexual behaviour were highlighted in cases that were declared “no further action” by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Coffey has now called for a “sea change” in public and professional attitudes towards CSE but said that the issue will only be tackled if vulnerable young people are empowered to protect themselves.
She said: “Although we can come up with more effective ways for agencies to work together, the most important thing we can do to protect children is to tackle the cultural attitudes that cocoon sex exploiters and enable them to get away with what they are doing under our noses.
“An important part of that protection is to enable young people to take the lead in the fight against CSE.”
Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said that the police and local authorities must do more to protect vulnerable children.
He said: “Winning the trust and respect of vulnerable children who currently do not feel confident to come forward and ask for help should be a priority.
“Local authorities and police can do more by intervening earlier to disrupt abuse.
“They can start by making sure that all children who run away from home – potentially because of sexual exploitation – are interviewed and supported on their return.”
In August, a damning report by Alexis Jay, former chief social work adviser to the Scottish government, revealed that almost 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
