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
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