What is Child Sexual Exploitation?
Child Sexual Exploitation is a kind of abuse that affects thousands of young people every year in the UK.
It can be physical, where the young person is encouraged or forced in to performing sexual activities such as touching, oral sex and penetration, or non-physical where they are asked to send pictures or make videos either by themselves or with other young people.
The young people may not know they are being abused and exploited. They might think they are in a good relationship with the person, or people. It might seem normal for young people to send explicit pictures and videos to boyfriends or girlfriends, however, the keeping and sending of any explicit material of under 16’s is illegal.
Many victims of exploitation have been groomed by an adult who will befriend them and make them feel special to gain their trust before sexually exploiting them.