Legal Update: In a Nutshell -- Combating child sexual exploitation

What is child sexual exploitation?

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child abuse that can manifest itself in a number of ways. According to the Department for Education (DfE), child sexual exploitation "involves children and young people receiving something – for example, accommodation, drugs, gifts or affection – as a result of them performing sexual activities or having others perform sexual activities on them". It does not necessarily involve physical contact. In some cases it may involve children being groomed through the internet to post explicit images online.

A key feature of exploitative relationships is the power a perpetrator holds over his or her victim, exerted through fear, coercion and violence, which makes the child even more vulnerable to abuse. As a result, victims of such exploitation often do not recognise that what they are experiencing constitutes abuse.

How widespread is the problem?

Sexual exploitation of children continues at an alarming rate. According to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England, up to 10,000 children and young people may be affected. Furthermore, research cited by the DfE indicates that up to three-quarters of all Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) are failing to implement the statutory guidance Safeguarding Children from Sexual Exploitation.

So what is the government doing about it?

The DfE published a strategy document last month to bolster efforts aimed to combat child sexual exploitation in the UK. The Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan focuses on four key areas where improvements can be made, with an emphasis on the victim’s experience and on multi-agency working.

The plan says that raising awareness of child sexual exploitation among young people, parents and frontline practitioners is vital. In many cases, individuals are not able to recognise a situation as being exploitative or abusive. The DfE will re-release the guidance, along with a new guide that will emphasise the strong links between child sexual exploitation and children running away from home or care.

It focuses on the importance of the prosecution of perpetrators, along with the need to improve court procedures, ensuring that the victim’s experience is not unnecessarily traumatising. This includes the use of pre-recorded videos of children’s evidence and intermediaries to help children understand questions asked during the proceedings. The victim-oriented approach is also reflected in the plan’s emphasis on the multi-agency responsibility to help victims and their families to overcome the ordeal.

What does it say about collaborative working?

The DfE plan calls on local areas to work in partnership with all agencies and relevant organisations to combat exploitation, picking up on the collaborative working message from the Munro Review on child protection. It calls on LSCBs and local authorities to continually carry out risk assessments to determine the scope of child sexual exploitation in their areas, and to work with voluntary and community organisations to assist with this.