Child Exploitation

Child exploitation is when someone uses a child for financial gain, sexual gratification, labour or personal advantage.

Using cruel and violent treatment to force a child to take part in criminal or sexual activities often leads to physical and emotional harm to the child, to the detriment of their physical and mental health, education, and moral or social development.

“The exploitation of children can take a number of different forms and perpetrators may subject children and young people to multiple forms of abuse at the same time, such as criminal exploitation (including county lines) and sexual exploitation.”  The Home Office

Signs of criminal exploitation

Signs of child sexual exploitation

Please click here for information about county lines.

Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion (FMSE)

Although young males, aged 14-18 are most likely to be the victims of this crime, it can happen to anyone potentially.  Most concerning is that cases still continue to rise, and there has now also been an increase in cases where children from ages 7-10 are being targeted.

FMSE involves offenders online, typically adults, but sometimes other young people, coercing and manipulating young people into sharing nudes and semi-nudes. This will then lead to blackmail and demands for money, with threats that if payments are not made, these images will be publicly shared with family members and friends.  The offender will often share an inappropriate image first, which is unlikely to be an actual image of themselves.

Organised criminal gangs are behind many of these crimes where children are often the victims.  They will often pose as a teenager themselves, creating fake accounts or hacking into accounts of others. Artificial Intelligence is allowing this process to be quicker and easier, as offenders use AI chatbox to allow them to easily engage in interests of the particular child to form a connection.  They can also use AI tools to mimic a child's voice or actually clone a child's voice. AI is also used to create inappropriate images, using the face of the individual (Deepfake) they are communicating with as part of the blackmail process.

As you can imagine, this type of crime is particular distressing for young people; they are the victims in this process, manipulated by people who have become quite expert in this process.

One thing we know is that some young people will not report this if it happens to them, due to the embarrassment or fear of consequences.  They are the victims and will be supported - it will not result in a criminal record.

The 'Report - Remove' tool allows young people to get professional support if an inappropriate image of them is circulating online:
Report Remove | Childline

For further information around FMSE, please visit the following links:

Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion (Sextortion) explained | The Children's Society

Financially motivated sexual extortion: NCA alert

If anyone requires any further support around these issues, this is available at school - please contact the Designated Safeguarding Team by email at safeguarding@woodkirk.leodis.org.uk.