CYP Now - Skills for the Job: Support sexually exploited children

Professionals must be alert to the different ways in which children and young people are vulnerable to being sexually exploited.

What different forms can child sexual exploitation take?

There are a number of different ways children can be exploited, to which professionals must be alert. It can be the traditional "older boyfriend model" where a girl's boyfriend may be five years older; organised groups of older males; or peer-to-peer exploitation through images or video clips taken on mobile phones and sent to other people or published on the internet. There is also opportunistic targeting, such as cases of young people approached randomly on the top decks of buses.

How many children are affected by child sexual exploitation?

Barnardo's figures for 2012 show that there were 1,268 children and young people identified as victims of child sexual exploitation. However, the true figure is likely to be far higher.

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