Child Exploitation

Child exploitation is when someone uses a child for financial gain, sexual gratification, labour or personal advantage.

Using cruel and violent treatment to force a child to take part in criminal or sexual activities often leads to physical and emotional harm to the child, to the detriment of their physical and mental health, education, and moral or social development.

“The exploitation of children can take a number of different forms and perpetrators may subject children and young people to multiple forms of abuse at the same time, such as criminal exploitation (including county lines) and sexual exploitation.”

The Home Office, 2019 (updated 2022)

Child criminal exploitation “occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in… criminal activity, in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or through violence or the threat of violence.”

“They may still have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears to be something they have agreed or consented to.”

Adapted from Keeping Children Safe in Education

CCE involves children and young people up to the age of 18. It is not possible to identify a lower age limit for when children become exposed to CCE as indications are that the starting ages across all of the forms of CCE identified below, are getting younger.  Arguably, the younger the child, the less likely they are to be arrested or identified by law enforcement (the age of criminal responsibility – i.e., the age at which you can be arrested for a crime – is 10 years old in England). It is important to remember that all children and young people are potentially vulnerable to exploitation and come from a range of backgrounds.

The common feature across all the forms of CCE is the imbalance of power. Children and young people will receive something in exchange for them completing acts or favours for the person exploiting them. The something may be gifts, status in a group or gang, somewhere to live, etc. The acts or favours required in return are usually criminal in nature.

The imbalance of power means that consent is not considered, and the choices that the child or young person believes that they have may be nothing of the sort.

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a form of sexual abuse. In return for gifts, money, drugs, affection, and status, children and young people are coerced, manipulated and deceived into performing sexual activities. It is not just something that affects teenage girls or specific groups and can happen in and out of school. Children and young people can be tricked into believing they are part of a loving and consensual relationship that could be framed as friendship, mentoring or romantic. Children as young as 8 have been sexually exploited. 

County lines are illegal drug dealing networks between large urban centres, small towns and rural locations. Children and young people are coerced, using intimidation, blackmail and violence, to transport and sell drugs, cash and weapons across the country via dedicated mobile phone lines which may be referred to as “deal lines”.

The movement of humans from one place to another for the purposes of forced labour, slavery or sexual exploitation is understood to be one of the fastest-growing areas of transnational criminal organisations, and has devastating effects on the victims.

Modern slavery can affect anyone, regardless of age and gender. Research in March 2022 reported an increase of 27% in the number of modern slavery offences involving a child victim recorded by the police in England and Wales. Modern slavery is mostly a hidden crime, and getting a true picture of its prevalence is very challenging. Modern slavery is seen as an umbrella term.

There is evidence to suggest that teenagers are being targeted by criminals intending to use the teenager’s bank accounts to launder money, and in return, they get to keep some of the money themselves.

Recruitment is often via social media with handles such as "free" or "easy money", and offers of being able to make money "working from home". It is sold as a simple process, just putting money into their account and then transferring it to someone else, keeping a cut. Research by CIFAS (Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System) in September 2019 identified a 73 percent rise over two years of children and young people aged 14-18 being financially exploited. The research suggests that teenagers often do not realise that what they are being asked to do is illegal.

Children who are caught will face criminal investigations, lose any of the money that they kept as their "fee", have their bank accounts closed and often find it difficult to open an account anywhere else. This will then impact their chances of getting loans, lines of credit, and mobile phones, etc. in the future.

For more information, including videos, see moneymules.co.uk or the National Crime Agency.