Child sexual exploitation by organised networks Investigation report February 2022
Summary
The Child sexual exploitation by organised networks investigation report revealed extensive failures by local authorities and police forces to keep pace with the changing nature of sexual exploitation of children carried out by networks. The investigation examined six case-study areas that have not already been the subject of well-publicised investigations of child sexual exploitation by organised networks: St Helens, Tower Hamlets, Swansea, Durham, Bristol and Warwickshire. The Inquiry considered evidence relating to more than 30 children and young people from the six case-study areas in order to better understand the experiences of children who were currently being (or very recently had been) sexually exploited by networks. The Inquiry also heard evidence directly from children who had been sexually exploited and abused between 2003 and 2011. This is the Inquiry’s 18th investigation report and was published in February 2022. Public hearings were held in this investigation during September and October 2020.
Key findings
The Inquiry’s findings show that less is now known and understood about the extent of child sexual exploitation than before 2015. The report found that the Inquiry did not receive a reliable picture of child sexual exploitation from the six case-study areas that provided information. The information showed that cases of child sexual exploitation were falling in two of the case-study areas, but the report found that this was highly unlikely to provide an accurate reflection of the experience of children (pages 3 and 36).
The report found that a distinctive professional language around child sexual exploitation has developed over many years, which describes children being ‘at risk’ despite clear evidence that they were harmed (page 4). The report states that too many victims of child exploitation are treated as offenders or as somehow responsible for the harm done to them, while those exploiting them are often not investigated or prosecuted (pages 68 and 142).
Recommendations
Recommendation 1 T
he government should amend the Sentencing Act 2020 to provide harsher penalties for offences relating to a child under part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where: (1) the child was exploited; (2) ‘exploitation’ means the child was controlled, coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity; and (3) two or more people were involved in the exploitation.
Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit
Recommendation 2 As referred to in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, the government should publish an updated version of its Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit as soon as possible. This toolkit must: ● specify that the main part of the definition of child sexual exploitation is that a child was controlled, coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity; ● include specific guidance on building effective problem profiles (bringing together information from different agencies into one place) for child sexual exploitation and child sexual exploitation by networks, as different from other forms of exploitation; ● specifically state the sources and types of information that agencies should use to build problem profiles; and ● say how often (at a minimum) problem profiles should be updated.