CYP Now - A Descriptive Account of Victims' Behaviour and Responses in Sexually Exploitative Interactions with Offenders

The research section for this special report is based on a selection of academic studies which have been explored and summarised by Research in Practice (www.rip.org.uk), part of the Dartington Hall Trust.

This study provides a descriptive analysis of transcripts of online chat logs to provide insights into offender-victim interactions. It aims to describe behaviours and reactions displayed by victims of online sexual exploitation to contribute to understanding of young people's responses to offenders' advances online. For confidentiality reasons, no chat extracts were presented in the report, which limits the depth of the findings reported.

Five cases were identified and selected by police forces where the offender had committed an offence of sexual grooming under the Sexual Offences Act (2003). Offenders were male and aged between 27 and 52.

The number of victims with whom each offender communicated ranged from one to 12, amounting to a total of 23 victims. Victims were aged between 11 and 15, and included 17 females and six males.

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