This report examines the patterns of child exploitation within the Country of the East Midlands and offers a comparison between the characteristics of perpetrators of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE). This exploratory research was conducted by Dr Craig Barlow, Honorary Research Fellow at the Wilberforce Institute, as part of the University of Hull.
The research was funded by the PEC, led by the University of Oxford, which in turn is funded and supported by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The Modern Slavery PEC have supported the production and publication of this report. However, the views expressed in this report are of the authors and not necessarily of the funders.
Background
The subject county for this piece of research is the East Midlands of England, which has an estimated population of 0.5-1 million residents, and is experiencing a rapid change in crime patterns involving drugs distribution, gangs, child trafficking and exploitation. Recent independent reports on both CSE and CCE have been critical of law enforcement and local authorities’ safeguarding services for failing to map patterns of child exploitation in their local areas, as well as for their limited understanding of the term “exploitation.” The Independent Inquiry stated that child sexual exploitation had become eclipsed by the problem of child criminal exploitation and the county lines drugs distribution phenomenon. Local authorities have also been criticised on their failure to consider that “exploitation” includes a variety of patterns of behaviour and abuse that can occur simultaneously in which children are multiply abused in different contexts over time.
The subject county police have conducted and participated in several large operations to combat drugs distribution, leading to the disruption of several gangs and convictions. Through their successful operations, however, the team also discovered many teenagers and vulnerable adults who were exploited by the gangs. This which led to targeted interventions and subject training to better understand the patterns of trafficking and exploitation in children as well as perpetrator behaviours and motivations. Though they reported awareness of the general criticisms raised in recent inquiry reports, they felt that the standard methods of problem profiling recommended and the general guidance available to the police on trafficking and exploitation of children, do not adequately reflect the challenges and needs of a semirural county such as theirs. As a result, the Wilberforce Institute offered to conduct an exploratory research project to investigate patterns of child exploitation within the county, considering: its geographical location, communication routes, demographics, and distribution of wealth and deprivation.
Key Findings
- Lack of statutory definition for exploitation complicates identification. Indicators used in profiling are correlational, not causal.
- Antisocial behaviour and crime cluster in deprived, high-density areas. Violence is normalised; substance use exacerbates risks.
- Structural environments shape exploitation likelihood, but data only shows correlation, not causation.
- Exploitation depends on exploiter goals and child’s resilience. Resilience is shaped by environment.
- Exploitation patterns vary by offender age group and align with abuse etiologic theories.
- Role of ICT in criminal exploitation (beyond CSE) is under-researched.
- Exploitation is non-linear and needs complex-systems modelling.
- Victim-exploiter dynamics vary by motivation and environment. Environmental factors have an impact on resilience.
- Could not identify communication patterns due to data limitations.
- CCE and CSE victims share preconditions: family breakdown, visibility, substance use, health harm.
- Gaps in interagency knowledge, inconsistent safeguarding protocols, dual-status children poorly handled in NRM and prosecutions
Key recommendations
- Strengthen Local Data Analysis for Early Detection
- Investigate Digital Enablers by Offender Age Group
- Design Targeted, Age-Specific interventions
- Implement Multi-Modal, Contextual Safeguarding Approaches
- Implore Victim Testimony through Specialist Recall Techniques
- Enhance Interdisciplinary Collaboration Using Shared Frameworks
- Reform Exploitation Profiling and Definitions
- Introduce Structured Multi-Source Risk Assessment Models
- Identify Dual Victim-Offender roles in Trafficking Contexts
- Improve Accuracy in National Referral Mechanism Reporting
- Tailor Interventions Based on Exploitation Typology and Child Needs
