Sexually exploited children not protected
Children's charity Barnardo's claims sexually exploited children being 'failed by the system'
Tuesday, 17, Nov 2009 11:00
Children who are sexually exploited are still being failed by the system, the charity Barnardo's has said today.
A report from the children's group says there is a worrying trend in organised child trafficking for sexual exploitation within the UK, and identifies dangers to children who regularly go missing.
Barnardo's said there are currently 209 local authorities and trusts across the UK with responsibility for producing Children and Young People Plans (CYPPS), yet only 40 are known to provide any type of specialist service.
This figure is despite new government guidance to local authorities, urging them to consider the needs of these children in their planning, the charity claims.
The report, entitled Whose Child Now?, found around 80 per cent of local authorities do not have any specialist work for sexually exploited children and young people.
Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey said: "We alone have worked with over 1,000 children who've been sexually exploited in just 20 of the 209 local authorities. We don't know the true extent of this problem. But we know, however hidden from the public eye it might be, it affects many thousands of children.
"We shouldn't have to do this work. But men are not going to stop the predatory sexual abuse of girls and sometimes boys. We shall not stop trying to thwart such men and help their victims escape from their clutches."
Barnardo's is today calling for all local authorities and trusts to ensure the needs of these children are specifically addressed in children's plans, by commissioning research and then addressing the problem, if necessary with a specific, direct service.
The report also found of the 609 sexually exploited children and young people Barnardo's is currently working with, 90 appeared to have been trafficked within the UK - approximately one in six.
Wendy Shepherd, a service and programme manager from the North East says: "I believe that sexual exploitation is becoming more organised; the criminals who abuse are more sophisticated.
"There are networks of older men grooming and trafficking children within the UK. It's a growing phenomenon and it's extremely difficult to police."
Barnardo's will raise awareness of the issue of sexual exploitation with a major TV advertisement to air on national television on December 4th, themed Turning Children's Lives Around.