Criminally exploited children: who are they and how to keep them safe
Criminal exploitation of children is when a child is coerced into committing criminal acts. To keep children safe, we need to avoid stereotypes about who can be targeted.
In November 2023, Action for Children commissioned the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children. We wanted to find out what lies behind the growing problem, and what can be done to prevent it.
Our Jay Review heard that there’s no ‘one-type’ of child who is exploited. Victims can be boys and girls, children from all ethnic backgrounds from anywhere across the UK. However, children groomed into exploitation often have specific vulnerabilities which abusers look out for......
