Boys and young men are often overlooked as victims of child sexual exploitation. They are also less likely to report abuse or exploitation themselves, therefore practitioners need to be aware of the signs and indicators of abuse that boys may exhibit.
We're asking all practitioners to look beyond the behaviour and to question the reasons behind it.
Child sexual exploitation affects thousands of children and young people across the UK every year. As practitioners working with children and young people, we all have an important role to play in working together to safeguard children from child sexual exploitation to ensure that every child and young person in Leeds is protected from being at risk of, or experiencing sexual exploitation. We can do this by:
Identification
We should all be aware of the risk indicators relating to the vulnerability of CSE to enable us to identify whether a child is at risk of sexual exploitation.
Acting
We should act upon early indicators relating to children and young people in order to protect them and prevent them from further harm. If someone identifies that a child may be at risk of CSE, they should contact the Children and Families Service Duty and Advice Team to discuss this. If a child is believed to be at immediate risk of harm, ring the Police on 999.
Vulnerability and Risk Management
Where it has been recognised that a child is at risk, has been targeted or is being exploited, services should work together to manage vulnerability and risk.
Disruption
Services should work in partnership to disrupt perpetrator activity. This will include early identification and the sharing of information about individuals or groups who are believed to be exploiting children, between the police and services working with children and adults, the business sector and the wider community.
Signs of child sexual exploitation in males
Male victims of sexual exploitation are more likely to express trauma through:
- anger
- aggression
- offending
- drug or alcohol abuse
- going missing or
- violence.
As a consequence of this, many male victims are missed because these types of behaviours meet expected societal bias eg. 'boys will be boys' or 'he can look after himself'.
There are many pull factors which young people seek to experience in their need for becoming independent. This is what makes this age group most at risk. They are:
- Being liked/ complimented
- A sense of belonging to someone or a group
- Excitement of risky behaviour
- Receiving gifts that they couldn't otherwise afford themselves
- Being taken to adult venues and being taken places
- New experiences and friendships and feeling mature.
Risk Indicators
Below are some risk indicators and factors to take into consideration, to help identify if a boy or young man is potentially at risk of, or experiencing CSE. The list is not exhaustive and the indicators can be attributed to young people who are not at risk of, or experiencing CSE, however indicators for child sexual exploitation can conversely also be mistaken for ‘normal adolescent behaviours’, especially with boys.
To appropriately assess a boy’s risk of CSE requires professional curiosity and holistic multi agency assessments, which fully consider and analyse their vulnerability and risk factors. This will allow for all the indicators and the boy or young man’s personal circumstances to be given full consideration and for the boy or young man to receive an appropriate level of support and intervention.
When considering a boy or young person’s risk factors and indicators, professional judgement is paramount.
Practitioners need to be aware that boys and young men may exhibit behavioural issues which can be a sign of sexual abuse. These can include:
- Periods of missing from home, care or school
- A change in their relationships with friends and family. Spending time with new friends/ groups.
- Unaccounted for money or gifts
- Physical injuries and or change in physical appearance
- Change in emotional well-being and or self-harm
- Change in drug or alcohol use
- Involvement in offending
- Sexually transmitted infections
- New boyfriend or girlfriend.
The following considerations should be noted in relation to boys and young men:
- Boys and young men are less likely than females to report abuse themselves
- Males can be at risk of CSE just as much as females
- A relationship with an older person can be an identification of CSE in males
- Boys are usually reported as missing later than girls, as they are seen as being able to take care of themselves
- Boys and young men can be groomed via technology
- Males are just as vulnerable to image sharing as females.
Examples of male victim exploitative relationships
The following have been identified as the most prominent ways males can become victims of CSE:
- Trusted Friend
- Exploitation of vulnerable gay, bisexual and trans (GBT) and curious men
- Female perpetrators
- Commercial sexual exploitation.
These models and further information can be found in "Hidden in plain sight" - A scoping study by Barnado's.
Practical tips
Here are some practical tips to help practitioners when working with males at risk of, or who have been sexually exploited:
- Take the time build a relationship with the child/ young person.
- Listen from a safeguarding perspective and be professionally curious
- Explain your procedures on information sharing
- Create a safe space
- Question if the young person has the freedom to make their own decisions. If they haven't then they could be being exploited or abuse.
- Don't make gender assumptions but base your assessment on risk. Ask yourself if you would come to the same conclusion if you were working with a female.
- Provide adequate support via multi-agency services. Where possible providing workers specifically for males.
Child Exploitation Risk Identification Tool
The Child Exploitation Risk Identification tool will help you decide whether a child or young person may be at risk of criminal exploitation or more than one form of child exploitation.
LSCP Training
A brief Introduction to Child Sexual Exploitation is an online multi-agency course for anyone working with children or young people who may be at risk of child exploitation. CSE can be a complex issue and it is recommended that for staff groups who work directly with children and young people, practitioners and professionals undertake further reading around the subject.
Team Briefing
Team briefings have been developed to encourage discussions and reflection on a variety of safeguarding subjects within teams.