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WALES
The forgotten children
CHILD prostitution in Wales is being driven
underground by abusers who use technology to ensnare their victims,
leaving local authorities struggling to help kids at risk. That is the
warning cry from children's charity Barnardo's, which is urging every
local authority in Wales to accept the sickening tragedy is still
blighting our society. Ten years after Wales on Sunday revealed how
children as young as 12 in council care homes were being lured into a
life of vice, Barnardo's say not enough is being done to tackle the
problem.
A decade ago, our special report found vulnerable
children being recruited for prostitution by teenage pimps not long out
of care themselves. But Barnardo's claims many councils still do not
know the warning signs to look for to prevent children being lured into
a sordid world of abuse. I'm a: WomanMan Seeking a ManWoman Location:
Age : to Photo profiles only
The advent of technology over the past decade has
exacerbated the problem - most children now own mobile phones, leaving
more youngsters than ever before vulnerable to twisted adults. Jan
Coles, a child sex exploitation officer for Barnardo's Cymru, said:
"Mobile phones are certainly helping to push the problem underground.
"Child prostitution is not something you can visibly see on the streets.
It is behind closed doors and, with most children now owning a mobile
phone, vulnerable kids are open to abuse by text message and mobile
phone calls."
To combat the problem, Barnardo's wants local
authorities to adopt a new practice to identify children at risk. A
Barnardo's pilot project is already under way at one authority in Wales
and the results are staggering. By working with just one social services
team, the charity has already helped child protection officers identify
30 children at risk in just one area.
But Ms Coles warned: "Until authorities begin to open
their eyes wider, the children we are concerned about won't be getting
the best possible support. "We are currently piloting a project with one
local authority and hope all councils across Wales will soon adopt it.
"We've found that most authorities have not got the knowledge to
identify children at risk and our programme will help them do that.
"Most authorities are not aware of indicators of risk. We want to work
with them to ensure the children we are worried about get the best
possible support."
The call comes just weeks after the Government
unveiled a new strategy to combat prostitution. In plans for England and
Wales, more kerb-crawlers could lose their driving licences, while
prostitutes would get help to come off drugs and receive improved
housing. But experts say the changes do nothing to protect children.
Ms Coles said: "Child prostitution does not take place
on street corners. This is a problem that takes place in bedsits and
people's homes, care homes and places we cannot see. It's a hidden
situation which is more underground than ever before. "There is no doubt
that children in care are at greater risk. Because they have been
brought into care, it makes them vulnerable. It's not because of the
fact they are in care."
Last year, a Barnardo's report revealed at least 184
children were being sexually exploited by adults in Wales. The charity's
Out of Sight - Out of Mind study told how children are being groomed to
have sex with older men, and how adults are targeting care homes in
their search for vulnerable kids.
One of the main barriers to identifying more
sexually-exploited children is the lack of hard evidence. Those cases
which were identified revealed how children were being targeted at
residential homes for children and other cases involved young people who
were engaged in a sexually exploitative relationship with an older man,
sometimes a known sex offender.
In others, children have been picked off the street in
cars and even bribed with offers of money, cigarettes, drugs, gifts and
even a roof over their heads to perform sexual acts. And Barnardo's and
the British Association of Social Workers Cymru say Wales is lagging
behind parts of England in its response to the sexual exploitation of
children.
Ms Coles said: "There is a danger that cases are only
identified when the situation has already become critical. Local
authorities are just beginning to say we need to be proactive with our
key staff and we want to help them achieve that. "This is what we need
to do to make progress. Unfortunately, we are at a very low base and
children are falling through the gaps and not getting the help they
need."
The same worries are expressed by the Children's
Society. Spokeswoman Petra Coveny said: "The situation in Wales would
reflect the picture we have in England.
"Child prostitution goes on behind closed doors."
Marc Baker
26 February 2006
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=16751040&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=the-forgotten-children-name_page.html
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