The Council’s Children’s Social Care team are working with Devon & Cornwall Police to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation (CSE).
The team are visiting pubs, cafes and restaurants to provide information on what to look out for within the service industry to keep young people safe.
Each establishment is receiving a window sticker to show that staff have received the CSE awareness training and are alert for the signs.
CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.
Thank you to Five Islands School pupil, Tia Thompson, who designed our CSE awareness sticker. The sticker was picked as the winning entry in a competition for secondary students. Look out for Tia’s sticker in establishments across the islands.