Cutting them free How is the UK progressing in protecting its children from sexual exploitation?

At the start of 2011, Barnardo’s launched their Cut them free campaign to call on the Government and local authorities to take action to protect vulnerable young people and children.

This report sets out the progress and, drawing on a survey of Barnardo’s services across the UK, focuses on what is still needed if young people are to be better protected and supported. Progress in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is outlined and the report considers in further detail how far our campaign calls have been met in England, following on from Puppet on a string.

The ‘Cutting them free’ report, published on the first anniversary of the charity’s campaign, surveyed 21 specialist services in the UK and reveals that locally, awareness raising of sexual exploitation has reduced by 30% due to funding cuts and that acknowledgement and recognition of the issue still remains patchy.

Two Barnardo’s services even reported a downgrading of sexual exploitation as a priority in their area.Yet this crime is becoming ever more complex and pernicious and without local action children will continue to be groomed, raped and abused in towns and cities across the UK.

Barnardo’s service data also shows:
- The number of sexually exploited children Barnardo’s works with has grown by 8.4% to 1,190
- The majority of grooming is in private with cases of ‘street grooming’ being rare
- 1 in 10 of those exploited were boys
- Nearly half (44%) of the children have gone missing from home
- 1 in 6 young people have been trafficked and moved from town to town and city to city, rising
to 1 in 2 in some areas
- 1 in 3 services has seen a marked increase in peer-to-peer exploitation.