What is it?
Child exploitation most commonly falls broadly into two categories – child criminal and child sexual exploitation
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
CCE is when an individual – or group – manipulates, deceives, coerces or controls a child into taking part in an activity, which breaks the law.
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation. Criminals identify, target and befriend children. Then, they manipulate the child into dealing drugs – or taking part in other illegal activities – across geographical boundaries.
CCE can take many forms. They range from telling under-18s to hold, hide or deliver drugs, money or weapons, to forcing children to steal, harm others or beg.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
CSE is a form of sexual abuse, in which the adult uses their power over a child to their advantage
Abuse can be carried out by an individual or group with offenders coercing, manipulating or deceiving an under-18 into sexual activity.
CSE can involve physical contact, such as sexual assault. However, CSE can occur through the use of technology, for example by an adult copying videos or images and posting them online.
Abuse can be a one-off or it can be organised and take place over a period of time – as happened recently when children were systematically groomed by gangs in Rochdale and Rotherham
What are we doing about it?
Complex Expoiltation Team Worker
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) funds a specialist worker to support children and families involved in cases of CSE or CCE.
Employed by charity Barnardos, the CET worker is based within Cleveland Police’s Complex Exploitation Team (CET.)
The post builds trusted relationships with children and their families. As a result, they can aid better communication between all agencies involved in a case and assist in information-sharing.
The end goal is to secure more successful prosecutions to take predatory individuals and gangs off Cleveland’s streets.
The CET worker can also alert the police and other agencies to trends, hotspots and places and persons of interest locally.
In addition, their knowledge means young people and their families can access recovery, protection and support services more easily.