Sex abuse and child sexual exploitation

It’s not okay for someone to manipulate you into doing sexual things for their own or someone else’s benefit. If you’re under 18, this is called child sexual exploitation and it is against the law.

Anyone can be a victim of child sexual exploitation and it happens to boys and girls. Sometimes abusers are adults, and sometimes victims are exploited by ‘so-called’ friends of a similar age.

For example, someone may try and get you to do sexual things by:

• offering you money
• hurting or threatening to hurt you
• humiliating or threatening to humiliate you
• buying you presents or offering you drink or drugs
• taking you out to places
• giving you a place to stay
• telling you that they love you

It’s not always easy to know when you are being sexually exploited, especially if it is your friend, boyfriend or girlfriend that is exploiting you.

There are lots of different types of child sexual exploitation, which is why it can be hard to tell if it is happening to you, or for your parents and carers to spot that something is wrong. These are just some examples:

• An abuser may pretend to be your friend and earn your trust before trying to get you to have sex. This is called grooming.
• A group of young people might gang up you to get you to carry out sex acts. This might be in return for friendship or so you can join the gang.
• An abuser may try and become your friend online – perhaps pretending to be someone your age – getting you to carry out sex acts using a web cam or phone camera.
• A new boyfriend or girlfriend might start to expect you to have sex with them in return for gifts or favours, or try to get you to have sex with their friends.
• Abusers might try to get you to have sex with other people in return for money, drink or drugs. They may blackmail or threaten you.
• Abusers might try and lure you to parties with promises of free alcohol and drugs, but then expect you to have sex with people while you are there.

There is no such thing as a child prostitute (someone who has sex for money or gifts). If you are under 18 and someone is paying you or offering you gifts for sex – even if you go along with it – this is child abuse. Your abuser is taking advantage of you and breaking the law. It is their fault, not yours, and you will not be treated as a criminal if you report this.

If you have been sexually abused or exploited, you may blame yourself for what has happened. If you have been abused by a family member, or someone you thought loved you, you are likely to feel betrayed, angry and upset. You may still love them even though they have done this to you.

Abusers are very clever in the way they trick, manipulate, and emotionally blackmail young people. No matter what the abuser says or does, exploitation is never your fault, even if you went along with things at first.

Nearly all victims of sexual abuse find it incredibly hard to speak up about it. If you feel this way, you are not alone. Sexual abuse is scary, confusing and worrying. Your self-esteem is likely to be very low and you may feel ashamed to talk to someone about it and get help.

The important thing is that you understand that the abuse is not your fault, and that help is available to help you deal with what has happened to you. It’s okay to speak to someone about it.

If something bad has happened to you or you are worried about something, don’t suffer in silence. Even if you don’t want to talk to the police, tell a trusted adult or friend and use their support. Sometimes just speaking to someone about what is happening to you can help.

If the abuse took place a long time ago, you can still get help from the police or support services dedicated to helping people recover from childhood abuse, no matter when or where it happened, or how old you are now.

In an emergency, always dial 999.

NSPCC helpline

The NSPCC runs a specialist helpline offering help, advice and support.

• help@nspcc.org.uk
• 0808 800 5000
• Report a concern online

Call children’s safeguarding and social care professionals

• Find your local social care team
• Out of hours support from social care teams

It doesn’t matter when the abuse took place, you can still report it to the police and get help and support.

It’s not okay and local child sexual exploitation teams

The www.itsnotokay.co.uk website contains lots of information and advice about child sexual exploitation. Find out what it is, how to spot the signs, and how to report it.

Specialist child sexual exploitation teams operate across Greater Manchester. Made up of police, health, and social care specialists they are dedicated to helping young victims and those at risk from child sexual exploitation. If you are worried about a child, they can help.

• www.itsnotokay.co.uk
• Find your local cse team

Call children’s safeguarding and social care professionals

• Find your local social care team
• Out of hours support from social care teams

Search our directory or call our helpline

If you don’t want to speak to the police or talk to someone who knows you, you can also get help from various services who specialise in helping and supporting children.

You can search our directory to find services that support children and young people are victims or witnesses of crime. You can find help for yourself, or someone you are worried about.

Although you don’t have to make a report to the police, many support services, including our helpline, have a duty to act if they know that a child is being sexually abused.

• Search our directory to find help near you
• Call our helpline

In an emergency: dial 999

An emergency is when a crime is being committed or has just been witnessed, there is a risk of injury, or a risk of serious damage to property.

In a non-emergency: dial 101

Use this number to report a non-emergency incident or make a general inquiry.

Online Web Reporting

Use this to report an incident or to make a query via the GMP website.

Police Enquiry Counter

Visit your local police station enquiry counter to report incidents or to make queries in person.

Report anonymously

Contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is a charity which is entirely independent of police and never share details with police of people who have got in touch.

• Find out more about reporting crime
• Contact your neighbourhood policing team

Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP)

CEOP is the child exploitation and online protection centre. It works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account.

They protect children from harm online and offline, directly through National Crime Agency led operations and in partnership with local and international agencies.

If someone has behaved towards you online, or to a child or young person you know – it may be sexual chat, being asked to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable or someone being insistent on meeting up – you can report it to CEOP by making a CEOP report (see below).

• Make a CEOP report – if someone has behaved inappropriately online towards someone who is under 18, report it here
• Think U Know website – info and advice for young people (and teachers and carers) on using the latest technologies and gadgets safely
• Internet safety – advice for parents
• Training and knowledge sharing for professionals
• CEOP on You Tube account

There are lots of organisations dedicated to helping young people with a whole range of issues, including support for young victims of crime. Follow the links to find out more.

• Survivors Manchester supports male survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
• Manchester Rape Crisis provides free face-to-face counselling for women over 17 who have been raped or sexually abused.
• Sexual Assault Referral Centre provides services to victims/survivors of rape or sexual assault regardless of whether the survivor/victim chooses to report the offence to the police or not.

There is also lots of help and advice out there for children and young people:

• ChildLine – 0800 1111. You can call them about anything – no problem is too big or too small. Calls are free and confidential.
• YouandCo – helping young people cope with the impact and effects of crime, even if you have not reported it to police.
• ThinkYouKnow.co.uk – worried about something that has happened online? ThinkUKnow is packed full of online safety advice and support.
• Fearless – a site where you can find non-judgemental information about crime and criminality. You can also report crime online, completely anonymously.
• This is Abuse – find out about domestic abuse within young relationships
• Victim Support – helping young victims
• Citizens Advice – children and young people
• Children and young witnesses
• Young people’s rights
• Young people and family

Internet Watch FoundationThey are the UK Hotline for reporting criminal online content and work with the internet industry, police and international partners to get it removed. Reports to the IWF are confidential and can be submitted anonymously. Your report to the Hotline may help to trace and rescue a young victim from further abuse.

Support services can:

• Give you someone to talk to about what you have been through
• Arrange access to counselling
• Help you through the criminal justice system
• Arrange support in court
• Answer any questions you have and help keep you up to date
• Work with agencies to ensure you have help with money, housing, debt, and any other difficulties you might have
• Help you cope and recover following the crime