CHILD EXPLOITATION AND AWARENESS DAY 2024 - 18th of March

Today is Child Exploitation Awareness Day, and this post is dedicated to raising awareness and providing guidance to prevent and combat child exploitation. Read till the end to see how you can join the fight against Child Exploitation.

What is Child Exploitation?

Child exploitation can be described as the act of subjecting minors to harsh and abusive tactics in order to force or coerce them into engaging in illicit or sexual behaviours. This practice inflicts both physical and psychological harm upon the child, severely compromising their overall well-being, educational attainment, and ethical and interpersonal growth. It takes various forms, all of which inflict harm and suffering upon children. These various forms include:

Sexual Exploitation: This occurs when an individual or group coerces, manipulates, or deceives a child into engaging in sexual activities. It includes grooming, online exploitation, and trafficking for sexual purposes.

Child Labour: Children forced into labour, whether in factories, mines, agriculture, or domestic work, are victims of labour exploitation. They often endure hazardous conditions, long hours, and minimal or no pay.

Modern Day Slavery: This exploits children through forced labour, sex trafficking, and child soldiering amongst others. Children are taken as payment for parents' debts, It deprives them of their rights, safety, and childhood, perpetuating a cycle of abuse and trauma. 

Criminal Exploitation: Children coerced or manipulated into criminal activities such as drug trafficking, theft, weapon crimes or gang-related violence fall victim to criminal exploitation. They are often vulnerable to intimidation and violence from their exploiters.

Organ Trafficking: In some horrifying cases, children are exploited for their organs, subjected to illegal organ harvesting for transplantation purposes.

Financial Exploitation: Children are recruited to facilitate the movement of illicit funds, termed 'money mules'.

Drug Trafficking: Children and vulnerable adults are often coerced or forced to transport drugs and money through intimidation and violence.

Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact, it can also occur using technology like social media platforms. Also. sometimes the child’s involvement may appear consensual, however, the child is still being criminally exploited.

Spotting Signs of Child Exploitation

Recognising the signs of child exploitation is crucial in safeguarding vulnerable children. Here are some common characteristics of child exploitation.

The most common characteristics of child exploitation are:

• control, coercion, intimidation, threats of violence, and violence

• associating with other children involved in exploitation

• suffering from changes in emotional well-being and/or behaviour

• misuse of drugs and alcohol

• appearing with unexplained gifts, money or new possessions

• going missing for periods of time or regularly coming home late

• regularly missing school or education, or not taking part in education

Some additional signs that may be present if a child is a victim of sexual exploitation:

• coercion, manipulation or deception into sexual activity

• having older romantic/sexual partners

• suffering from sexually transmitted infections, displaying sexual behaviours beyond their expected sexual development, or becoming pregnant

Reporting Child Exploitation

If you suspect a child is being exploited, it is crucial to take immediate action. Here are some actionable steps to take:

Contact Authorities: Report your concerns to the relevant authorities, such as the police, child protection services, or a designated safeguarding officer.

Seek Support: Provide support and reassurance to the child, ensuring they feel safe and listened to.

Document Concerns: Keep a record of any observations or conversations that raise concerns about the child's welfare. This documentation may be valuable in investigations.

Stay Informed: Educate yourself on the signs of exploitation and available support services to better protect children in your community by attending any of the upcoming Shielded Space Seminars on Child Abuse and Exploitation. 

Share with us in the comments section, have you seen any signs of child exploitation in your neighbourhood?

For more details see Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit