What is child criminal exploitation?
DEFINITION
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
When a group or an individual manipulates, deceives, coerces or controls someone under the age of 18 to take part in criminal activity.
This can involve criminal activity such as holding, smuggling, transporting and dealing drugs, shoplifting, theft and/or coerced internal concealment.
CCE does not always involve physical contact and can take place through technology. All children are at risk of criminal exploitation.
What forms of CCE are there?
There are various forms of CCE which may involve the dealing, moving or holding of drugs, firearms or money. Children can also be sexually exploited, and this may occur simultaneously to criminal exploitation.
Forms of child criminal exploitation can include:
- Offering an exchange –carrying drugs or performing some other illegal activity in return for money, clothes, drugs, protection or perceived friendship.
- Physical violence or threats of violence – violence used to intimidate or punish victims.
- Emotional abuse or psychological coercive control – manipulating, controlling and/or monitoring the movements of the victim.
- Sexual abuse or exploitation –can be experienced by all genders.
- Blackmail – forcing or coercing a child to commit a criminal offence so that the exploiter can use it against the child and threaten to report them if the child doesn’t comply.
- Using social media, messaging apps, gaming sites and other online platforms – these platforms, including online marketplace platforms and smart TVs can be used to target children. They may be used to build false relationships and communicate with children, to post fraudulent job adverts or to ‘cyberstalk’ children in order to groom or coerce them into criminal activity.
- Coerced Internal Concealment – where a child is controlled or coerced into concealing criminal matter, such as drugs, internally within their bodies as method to transport them without detection.
- Financial Exploitation – where criminals utilise a power imbalance with children to coerce, manipulate or deceive them into facilitating the movement of illicit funds, such as physical cash or bank and cryptocurrency accounts.
What does ‘county lines’ mean?
DEFINITION
County Lines
This refers to a specific type of criminal exploitation where organised criminal gangs exploit children to move, store and sell drugs and any associated money or weapons.
Typically, this is done to transport drugs from larger urban areas to smaller rural towns across the UK.
Criminal networks tend to operate using dedicated mobile phone lines known as ‘deal lines’ to take orders and communicate with their network. ‘County lines’ refers specifically to these phone lines. Children may be coerced, deceived, threatened or intimidated into becoming involved in county lines activity.
How does CCE apply to children under criminal investigation?
Children who have been involved in criminal activity and are believed to be victims of CCE should always be treated as victims rather than suspects. A child is never to blame when they have been exploited.
However, CCE can often be hard to identify as children may not recognise that they have been/are being exploited. Data from the Youth Justice Legal Centre suggest that children affected by CCE may:
- Refuse to or be unable to see themselves as victims of exploitation.
- Be resistant to being perceived as a ‘snitch’.
Evidence also suggests that the cumulative impact of systemic racism may make Black children even less likely to disclose exploitation.
What is a National Referral Mechanism?
DEFINITION
National Referral Mechanism
The UK’s framework for identifying and supporting potential victims of modern slavery and exploitation and ensuring they receive the appropriate care.
If a professional, be that a social worker, Police or local authority or other relevant organisations, believes that a child is a victim of exploitation and/or at risk of harm, an NRM can be submitted on their behalf.
After an NRM referral, a ‘Competent Authority’ will then decide on whether the child is being/has been trafficked. This decision is based on a balance of probability ‘it is more likely than not’ that the child is a victim of human trafficking or modern slavery. Positive conclusive grounds must be found to establish that a child has been a victim of exploitation.
What happens if positive conclusive grounds are found?
If a child that has been charged with a criminal offence is referred through the NRM and positive conclusive grounds are established, this will confirm that their offending was the result of CCE and/or modern slavery. Exploited children are not at fault for their actions and therefore, if the criminal charges relate to the NRM, they will be withdrawn.
A withdrawal of charges means that the case will not go to trial and that the child will not be convicted. This is not the same as an acquittal.
How can Lawtons help?
If your child has been charged with a criminal offence that is believed to be the result of CCE, it is essential that they are referred for an NRM by a certified professional. In addition, you should seek out a specialist representative who has experience in youth justice and cases of modern slavery. At Lawtons, we have a team of expert youth solicitors who have experience handling cases concerning modern slavery and CCE. If you are in need of support or guidance, get in touch with a member of our team today by calling us on 0333 577 0522 or visit our enquiries page.
FAQs about Child Criminal Exploitation
What is a Competent Authority?
- The NCA’s Modern Slavery Human Traffickng Unit (MSHTU) – handles cases involving UK national and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals
- The Home Office Visas and Immigration (UKVI) – handles cases involving an EEA who is subject to immigration control or a non-EEA national.
Is child trafficking the same as child criminal exploitation?
