What is criminal exploitation?

The criminal exploitation of children takes place when an individual or group takes advantage of a child or young person under 18 to threaten, manipulate or deceive them into doing something criminal. For example:

• Children may be made to move or store drugs or weapons.
• They could be asked to hold or deliver a bag or package that contains drugs – even if they say it’s 'helping a friend'.
• Their bank account may be used to launder money.
• They may be made to shoplift or pickpocket, or to threaten others.
• They may start to carry weapons like knives. 

Children and young people may not realise they are being taken advantage of. This can be part of something called 'grooming', where someone builds trust by giving gifts like money, clothes, or food. In return, they expect the young person to commit crimes.

You may have heard of ‘county lines’. This is a common form of criminal exploitation, where children and young people are used to move illegal drugs between different areas, often across police and local authority boundaries. Children and young people may be given a special phone just for drug dealing. This phone often has a list of contacts for people they’re told to deliver drugs to, or for buyers to get in touch with them directly. 

Not all exploiters are part of organised criminal gangs. Some may be part of smaller street gangs, or they may not be part of a gang at all. Children and young people often don’t see these people as criminals. They might seem friendly, trustworthy, or even act like older friends. Sometimes, they’re not much older than the young people themselves, which can make it even harder to recognise the danger.

Not all gangs are involved in criminal activity. If your child is part of a group with their friends this isn’t necessarily anything to worry about. But it’s good to learn how to spot the signs of criminal exploitation, so you know what to look out for.

Criminals target children because they’re easier to control and intimidate, more trusting and less suspicious than adults.

Any child can be targeted by exploiters but there are some things that can make them more vulnerable. 

• The most common age range is between 14 and 17, although younger children are also targeted.
• Boys have been identified as victims of criminal exploitation more often than girls, but anyone can be affected regardless of their gender.
• Children who’ve been excluded from school may be more at risk of being targeted.
• Children with learning disabilities may be targeted because they’re seen as being more vulnerable to being groomed.
• Children with mental health issues may be more at risk of being targeted.
• Children who are in care, or who have had traumatic experiences or who have experienced family relationship breakdown are also more likely to be targeted.
• Children from families experiencing financial difficulty may be targeted.
• Children who are using substances may also be more vulnerable to being targeted.

Children can be targeted online, through social media and gaming platforms, or face to face in places where they hang out, like shopping centres, parks or fast food outlets. 

Children and young people may get involved with exploiters because their friends are involved and they want to fit in. Or they may feel it gives them status and respect, or protection from other gangs or bullies. They may want to make money, or feel that this is the only way they can get anywhere in life. 

Exploiters may bribe children, offering them money and gifts or quick ways of making cash. Or they may trick them into thinking they owe them money. They then have to run errands or work to pay off this debt. 

Exploiters can use intimidation, violence or abuse to force children to work for them. They may blackmail them, or threaten to hurt them or their families and friends. 

In some cases children and young people may not realise that they’re being exploited. They may have been groomed or tricked into thinking that the exploiter is their friend or someone to look up to. They may have been made to feel that they’ve chosen to break the law. Or they may be afraid of getting into trouble. But it’s important to remember that they are the victims in the situation. They are in danger, and they need help and support.

If you spot any of these signs it doesn’t necessarily mean that something’s wrong, but it’s always best to look into it to make quite sure. If you think a child may be being exploited it’s important to take action straightaway, as they may be in danger. You can find out what to do here.

Changes to their behaviour

You may notice changes in their behaviour. For example, they may:

• go missing from school or home for unexplained reasons
• stay out late or all night and start travelling for unexplained reasons
• spend more time online or on their phone or get an excessive amount of texts or phone calls
• become secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going
• isolate themselves from their old friends and start hanging out with new people
• hang out with older people who seem controlling
• lose interest in schoolwork and start skipping classes
• use violent or gang-related words
• start self-harming
• become withdrawn, disruptive, angry or violent
• get into trouble with the police.

Changes to the way they look

You may notice changes to their appearance, like:

• changing the way they look or dress
• come home looking dishevelled, or with torn or bloodied clothing
• having unexplained injuries, bruises or wounds.

Changes to their belongings

Or you may notice they now own things you didn’t buy them, and they can’t or won’t explain where they got them from, like:

• money, clothes or jewellery
• more than one phone
• hotel cards or keys to unknown places
• alcohol or drugs
• weapons, like knives, firearms or harmful sprays or liquids such as CS spray or acids.