1. Welcome Child Sexual Exploitation Briefing
Carron O’Byrne
Transformation Manager

2. What is Child Sexual Exploitation?
Child Sexual Exploitation is a criminal act that has a devastating impact upon children and young people.
Sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive ‘something’ (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of performing/and/or others performing on them, sexual activities.
Child sexual exploitation can occur through the use of technology without the child’s immediate recognition, for example being persuaded to post sexual images on the internet or on a mobile phone without immediate payment or gain.

3. What is Child Sexual Exploitation? (cont.)
In all cases, those exploiting the child or young person will have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength and/or economic or other resources. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common, involvement in exploitative relationships is characterised in the main by the child or young person’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social, economic, and emotional vulnerabilities.

4. Beyond the Shadows Child Sexual Exploitation
Young People’s Experiences
Beyond the Shadows
Video

5. Who does Child Sexual Exploitation affect
Who does Child Sexual Exploitation affect? Any child could be a victim of child sexual exploitation:
Victims come from all communities.
Male and female.
Any socio-economic background.
Groups of children and young people and multiple perpetrators may be involved.

6. Who Needs to Understand Child Sexual Exploitation?
Children and young people
Staff working with children, young people and families
Those working in law enforcement and public protection
Parents, carers and guardians
The wider community

7. Factors that increase a Young Person’s vulnerability
Children and young people who are Looked After
Experience of abuse / neglect / domestic violence
Learning difficulties or disabilities
Difficult school life
Mental ill health
Bereavement

8. Some of the indicators of child sexual exploitation
Regularly coming home late or going missing
Unaccounted for monies or goods
Reduced contact with family, friends and support networks
Staying out overnight with no explanation
Non school attendance or excluded due to behaviour
Repeat offending

9. Impact of sexual exploitation on children and young people
Physical health
Mental health
Education and training
Family relationships
Friends and social relationships
Behaviour
Involvement in criminal activity
Over 70% of adults involved in prostitution were sexually exploited as children or teenagers (‘Not a game: young women and prostitution’, YMCA 2002)

10. What can you do to support Young People?
Speak with children and their parents/carers about sexual exploitation, healthy relationships and safe choices.
Recognise the warning signs of child sexual exploitation and respond.
Follow local GIRFEC or Child Protection Procedures.
Share information with social work and police to support the disruption and prosecution of alleged perpetrators of this abuse.

11. Aberdeenshire's approach to Child Sexual Exploitation
Child & Family Protection Committee
Findings from Reports (Rotherham)
Set-up of the Strategic Group
Aberdeenshire's Strategy and Action Plan, building on good work already underway.
Consulting with young people to inform our way forward
We don’t know what we don’t know

12. What our Young People told us.

13. Nikki’s story