Light up Christmas for Children

THE number of young people calling Childline about child sexual exploitation (CSE) has risen by a third in the past year.

Teenage girls are most likely to receive counselling about the issue, while those aged between 12 and 15 are the most likely to receive help from Childline.

One 14-year-old girl told an NSPCC counsellor that she ‘felt bad’ and

confused when the older man she slept with got into trouble.

While another girl described being blackmailed after sending pictures of herself online.

Most children who call the helpline for advice and support about CSE say they are being targeted on the internet. Around eight young people a day contacted the NSPCC service with concerns about CSE in 2016/17.

That amounts to 3,122 counselling sessions – up from 2,340 the previous year.

The sharp rise highlights the importance of Childline and the need to get behind the NSPCC and Manchester Evening News’ Christmas campaign to raise crucial funds for the service.

Currently, Childline counsellors can only respond to three out of four children who need their help.

NSPCC chief executive officer Peter Wanless said Childline will support young people whatever their worries.

He added: “Whether child sexual exploitation is happening online or offline, groomers will use the same devious tactics to manipulate and control young people so they can abuse them for their own pleasure.

“It can be incredibly confusing and difficult for children and teenagers to realise that they are being exploited, with some believing they are in a relationship with their abuser. Our Childline counsellors hear about the guilt and shame that young people feel, so it’s vital that any young person in this situation knows they are not to blame.”

Victims of CSE are manipulated into sexual activity in exchange for gifts, money or affection. This can take the form of both online and offline grooming, trafficking, sexual harassment and engaging in online sexually explicit activities.

NSPCC counsellors who spoke to young people about being groomed reported that young people often didn’t recognise what was happening to them. Instead they believed they were in a relationship with someone they had met online.

In some cases they had not met or even spoken to the individual, having no proof of who they really were.