Teenagers’ false nails may be clue to abuse

FALSE NAILS could be a sign that a teenager is being sexually exploited, police have warned in new guidance for teachers.

Unexplained gifts – which can include new clothes, mobile phones, money and travel in taxis – could also be an indicator that a pupil is being groomed by a predator, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The advice comes in a new guidance document for schools and colleges on how to protect children.

Other signs of potential abuse include absence and truancy, as well as a distrust of authority figures such as parents, teachers and the police.

Insp Allen Davis, who wrote the guidance, said that warning signs of abuse were sometimes “hidden in plain sight” and can be missed if front-line staff such as teachers do not know how to spot them.

Other advice to teachers includes what they should do if they suspect cases of sexual texting, abuse based on faith, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, and breast flattening.

Recent figures show that abuse based on faith or belief – which includes witchcraft, spirit possession and black magic – increased from 1,460 to 1,950 cases between 2016-17 and 2018-19.

That equals an increase of 34 per cent, with councils dealing with the equivalent of 38 such cases a week, according to the figures published by the Local Government Association.

The figures also show that the number of children identified by councils as having had or being at risk of FGM has reached a record high, with 1,000 such cases in 2018-19.