National Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2024 

Preventing young people from involvement in Child Exploitation is our driving force at Gamechanger. Our team encounters the horrific circumstances that children trapped in Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and County Lines endure on a regular basis, and we are constantly working to refine our interventional work and deliver it to more young people across the UK. Today, for the tenth year, National Child Exploitation Awareness Day shines a light on the struggles of vulnerable, exploited children. Here at Gamechanger, we look at how we can all help to reduce CCE and ask you to help us raise awareness. 

What is Child Exploitation? 

Child Exploitation is child abuse. It includes – but is not limited to – Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), CCE, County Lines, trafficking and modern slavery. Children are minors and cannot consent to their exploitation. Perpetrators of Child Exploitation target and groom vulnerable individuals. This can be done in person or online. Children and young people are manipulated into involvement in criminal and often age-inappropriate activity to a point where they are trapped and cannot see a way out. 

National Child Exploitation Awareness Day is a great way to highlight the issues surrounding Child Exploitation; encouraging everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children or children exploiting and abusing their peers. 

Warning signs: 

Some of the signs that a young person might be involved in Child Exploitation are: 

• Changes in appearance (changes to personal hygiene, new clothing) 
• Changes in behaviour (seeming tired, withdrawn, aggressive, secretive or stressed; talking differently) 
• Spending more time online (distancing themselves from usual friends and activities in favour of staying online) 
• Unexplained injuries (cuts, bruises and burns; a reluctance to seek medical care) 
• Unexplained possessions (new technology, large amounts of cash, new phone, drugs) 
• Missing from home or school (hiding where they are and who they are with) 
• Travelling to new places without an obvious connection 
• Worrying coping mechanisms (alcohol abuse, drugs, self-harm) 

Shared responsibility: 

We all have a responsibility to be aware of Child Exploitation and to protect vulnerable young people. We encourage you to follow the hastags #CEADay24 and #LookCloser on social media to raise your awareness and contribute to the discussion. And check out the NWG website here: https://stop-ce.org/ 

Some people should particularly be on the lookout for signs of Child Exploitation in children they meet in daily life. Awareness and discussion in the wider community, beyond parents, teachers, care providers and the police, can help to prevent the work of organised crime groups and stop Child Exploitation in its tracks. We recommend the Children’s Society website (https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/), which has helpful and job-specific warning signs for people working in the following industries to look out for: 

• Banking 
• Delivery services 
• Public transport (trains, buses e-bike and scooter rental) 
• Private hire vehicles (Taxis, Ubers, ride shares) 
• Fast food restaurants 
• Hotels, caravan parks and temporary rented accommodation 
• Retail (supermarkets, corner shops, petrol stations, shopping centres) 

The Gamechanger solution: 

Gamechanger offers two innovative programmes for young people at risk of – and involved in – Child Exploitation.

IMPACT is a half day session  designed to raise awareness, inform and build emotional resilience through experiential learning. Our experienced team of facilitators and professional actors raise awareness through a live and gritty ‘Theatre in Education’ performance, combined with a making meaning workshop and physical, resilience-building Gamechanger challenges.

INTERVENTION is a 6-session blended learning process that is suitable for young people aged 11+.  It is ideal for small groups of targeted learners, identified as potentially at high risk. Virtual Reality (VR) headsets provide an immersive experience with gamification and decision making moments, and the online learning portal supports personal growth and the development of skills to make robust, safer choices.  Gamechanger challenges foster group responsibility and resilience.

We stand alongside everyone who challenges and speaks out against Child Exploitation, today and every day. We continue to work to increase the provision of our early-intervention workshops across the UK, so that all young people will live safely without fear of and involvement in Child Exploitation. We hope that today’s increased awareness and proactivity around Child Exploitation will help many exploited young people be seen, heard, represented and helped. We hope they will be empowered and supported to reclaim their childhoods. 

If you’d like to join us in this mission then check out the links to our programmes below and get in touch today. We hope to hear from you!