Child Exploitation
Child exploitation is where an individual or group uses a child for financial gain, sexual gratification, labour or personal advantage.
What is Child Exploitation?
Child exploitation can happen to any child under the age of 18, and can happen through technology or in person. The exploiter takes advantage of an imbalance of power and involves the child in criminal or sexual activity through coercion, control, manipulation or deception.
Violent and cruel treatment is often used to force a child and often leads to emotional harm to the child in addition to a detriment in their physical and mental health, education, moral and social values.
A child may still have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears to be something they have agreed with or consented to. British Law states that a child under the age 18 cannot consent to exploitation.
The child will receive something in exchange for them completing acts or favours for the person exploiting them. This could include gifts, money, drugs, status in a group/gang, somewhere to live.
Forms Of Child Exploitation
Child Exploitation comes in 2 forms, although its focus is Child criminal exploitation (CCE) :
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
This is a form of child abuse where young people are manipulated and coerced into committing crime. This includes involvement in Countylines, gangs and/or serious youth violence.
Joe was criminally exploited initially when he was 15.
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Child Sexual activity (CSE)
A form of sexual abuse, the child is given gifts, status and affection in exchange for performing sexual activities. The child is often tricked into believing they are in a loving and consensual relationship.
They trust their abuser and do not understand that they are being abused.
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