Child exploitation week of action – 7th to 13th October

No matter what image a young person portrays to the world they are still a child – that’s our message to Greater Manchester communities as part of a week of action to raise awareness of child exploitation.

This campaign’s powerful imagery highlights how children can be misjudged or stereotyped due to their behaviour, who they socialise with; or the clothes or make-up they wear.

The message of the campaign is simple – any person under the age of 18 years of age is still a child and they are vulnerable to exploitation.

The Greater Manchester week of action includes the broadcast of a film highlighting how young people can become involved in organised crime, and explores the signs to look out for of someone who is being exploited.

Warning signs include:

• young people going missing or travelling to areas where they have no obvious links or connections
• unexpected, repeated or prolonged absence from school
• money, clothes or accessories which they are unable to account for
• receiving an excessive amount of texts and phone calls
• relationships with controlling or older individuals or groups
• carrying weapons
• a significant decline in school results or performance
• self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being – appearing withdrawn, anxious or depressed.

Tackling the exploitation of children and vulnerable people is a priority for all Greater Manchester partners – the police, local authorities, criminal justice agencies and the voluntary sector are working together to tackle and raise awareness of criminal exploitation and how to report it.

This partnership approach has led to the introduction of a specialist multi-agency Complex Safeguarding Team sited in every borough of Greater Manchester. These teams have been building on the work of Programme Challenger and It’s Not Okay to focus on all aspects of exploitation, in addition to supporting victims and disrupting and apprehending those responsible.

If you suspect someone is involved in this or you are suffering yourself, please contact police on 999.

In Manchester contact CSH@Manchester.gov.uk  or call 0161 856 6020

Find out more on the Programme Challenger website at www.programmechallenger.co.uk  or  the It’s Not Okay website at  www.itsnotokay.co.uk

Or take a look at our child exploitation resource.