Services across the country are failing to protect children from sexual exploitation by other children in gangs, according to the findings of a two-year investigation.
The investigation by the Children’s Commissioner said that “shocking” evidence showed peer to peer abuse was flying under the radar of professionals and society.
“Over the last two years, the findings of our Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups have made difficult reading: children, including but by no means always, those in care, are vulnerable prey for sexual predators operating in groups,” said Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, in a statement.
“Children associated with but not necessarily in gangs, are subjected to appalling levels of sexual violence; pornography, to which most children are exposed, affects their behaviour, attitudes and beliefs about sex; and too many children and young people are still being failed by the agencies charged with their protection,” she said.
The inquiry sets out a framework for tackling the problem, saying that the needs of the children should always be the first priority – something that the report says can get sidelined by agencies when the child is embroiled in gang culture.
“During the inquiry we have heard some professionals at all levels blaming the child or young person for their own abuse – ‘they are just prostituting themselves’ said the chair of an LSCB [Local Safeguarding Children Board],” states the report “If Only Someone had Listened”.
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner – an organisation set up as part of a revamp of legislation protecting children in 2004 – has published a total of six reports over the last two years into the subject.
The latest three reports, published on November 25th, show that children and young people do not understand the concept of consent.
“The fact that some adults (usually men) rape and abuse children is generally accepted,” states the foreword to the report into sexual exploitation in gangs. “There is, however, a long way to go before the appalling reality of sexual violence and exploitation committed by children and young people is believed.
“Our findings about the scale and nature of this form of sexual violence have left panel members aghast. We have found shocking and profoundly distressing evidence of sexual assault, including rape, being carried out by young people against other children and young people.”
The Children’s Commission report drew heavily on another of the reports, a university study based on interviews with 188 children and young people from six different areas of the country.
The researchers said that underpinning much of the abuse was the objectification of girls and a culture in which the notion of consent was warped or sidelined.
“The belief that, as one girl put it, ‘we are objects’ has not sprung from nowhere,” said the foreword to the University of Bedfordshire study. “Such beliefs are bred, born, nurtured and promoted by adults who are often making vast sums of money in the process. The music and pornography industries, for example, have a great deal to answer for. We know from our report into the impact on children of viewing pornography including violent imagery, that most boys are viewing these materials and that there is a likely correlation between looking at and carrying out such acts. It is adults who make such films and adults who profit from them.”
The researchers say that most of the women had a “fatalistic” response to sexual victimisation. “I’m used to it ... It’s normal ... It’s wrong, but you get used to it ... Welcome to our generation,” the report quotes one young woman as saying.
The investigation concluded that the problem is not unique to big cities. Researchers spoke with young people living in gang-affected neighbourhoods in six different areas.
“The messages were similar wherever the gang was located and whatever its makeup. ... We cannot afford to delude ourselves into thinking that the disturbing reality exposed in this report is confined to just a few trouble spots,” states the report.
A second university report, “Sex Without Consent, I Suppose that is Rape”, involved 607 young people between 13 and 20 years old.
Professor Liz Kelly, director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Institute at London Metropolitan University, said in a statement: “Our study shows that the emphasis and responsibility remains on young women to give consent with little expectation that young men seek and get it. This needs to become a more balanced negotiation. We also have to shift the cultural norms which label young sexually active women as ‘slags’ and ‘skets’ whereas for young men they are considered ‘legends’.”
It is through tackling the culture of objectification and assumed consent that researchers believe they can most effectively tackle the problem.
“We recommend that schools, health providers and youth services promote an understanding of healthy relationships, explain the meaning of consent and the harm caused by rape and sexual assault. Schools need to develop approaches that address all forms of sexual violence and exploitation, including sexualised bullying and coercive behaviour,” professor Jenny Pearce, director of the International Centre: Researching Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking at the University of Bedfordshire, said in a statement.
Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said in a statement: “The guidance for professionals in social care, education or health services already exists. But it is clear from this report and from our work with young people that it is not being followed.
“It is not good enough to just wait until a child discloses abuse or sexual exploitation. Professionals need to develop proactive approaches and respond to signs that a child is at risk.
“Schools, health and youth services must also get better at teaching children about healthy relationships. They need to teach both boys and girls about what consent means, so children can protect themselves from becoming involved in exploitation.”
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