Exploitation
Sexual exploitation is when someone tricks you, and or maybe forces you to do something sexually for the benefit of themselves or others.
This person may act like your friend, boyfriend or girlfriend. They could be your age, older, male or female. You may have known them a long time or they may be a new friend.
You may have met this person online or through friends. But something is telling you this is not right. You need to listen to that feeling and get the help and support you need.
They may:
- make you have sex or perform sexual acts on them or other people
- blackmail you with pictures they have of you
- make you watch things you do not want to see
- encourage you to take and send naked images of yourself
- encourage you to drink alcohol or take drugs
- touch you and make you feel uncomfortable
They may make you feel as though:
- they love you
- they care about you
- they respect you and treat you like an adult
They may:
- offer you a place to stay
- offer you gifts, drugs, clothes, mobile phone
But although they make you feel special, they also:
- make you feel guilty
- threaten you or your family and friends
- blackmail you
- may be violent towards you
- humiliate you and make you feel stupid
What should I do if this is happening to me?
If this is happening to you, you should talk to someone you trust to get help.
You can reach out to someone within Walsall's Early Help team by phone or by email.
Sexual Exploitation is where someone is taking advantage of you (or someone you know) sexually for their own benefit.
If someone is asking you or someone you know to do sexual favours for them with them, other children or young people, including being encouraged or forced into having sex, watching others have sex or being touch please speak out and ask for help.
They may also be persuading or forcing you or someone you know to make sexual videos of yourself/themselves or with other young people, or posting sexual images on the internet, or it might be that someone shares sexual images via the internet or mobile phone that the child or young person doesn't know about.
- Sexual exploitation can happen to anyone, boys, young men as well as girls and young women.
- It can happen to anyone and people who exploit you can be any age, male or female
You can call childline for free on 0800 1111 and this number won’t appear on a telephone bill you can call at any time of the day or night its available 24 hours a day.
How does it happen?
It can be hard to recognise if you or someone you know is being exploited because often it feels like that you/they are in a good relationship with the person or people who abuse the trust you/others have in them.
It could be that you are exploited by a friend, or group of friends, or someone you think of as a boyfriend or girlfriend or it might be a person or a new group of people you’ve only just got to know, either in person or online.
Often people who exploit are nice to you, your friends and family; they might buy you things, including alcohol or drugs, they might listen to your problems, take you to great places, be there for you, and they might give you a place to stay when you’re having problems.
Anyone who persuades you or your friends to have sex with them or other people, or encourages you all to post sexual images of yourself/themselves via text or on the internet, in return for the things that they have given you or your friends, such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, money, food, accommodation or affection.
They are sexually exploiting you/your friend, even if you don’t always feel like they are.
“Criminal exploitation is when someone you trust makes you commit crimes for their benefit” (young person’s definition)
Criminal exploitation is also known as 'county lines' and is when gangs and organised crime networks may trick you, manipulate you and force you to sell drugs. This can happen to anyone, no matter their background. You could be made to travel across counties, and given a dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ to supply drugs.
These criminals will groom you into trafficking their drugs for them with promises of money, friendship and status., you may feel as if they have no choice but to continue doing what the criminals want.
Please ask for help, speak to a teacher, your parents or any trusted adult or you call Childline for free on 0800 1111 and this number won’t appear on a telephone bill you can call at any time of the day or night its available 24 hours a day.
Alternatively you could call Childrens Services on 0300 555 2866
