Child Sexual Exploitation week of awareness

Six months on from the launch of the ‘It’s Not Okay’ campaign, organisations from across Greater Manchester are holding another week of activity and awareness raising

A Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) week of awareness began across Greater Manchester today (Monday 16 March 2015).

Six months on from the launch of the ‘It’s Not Okay’ campaign, organisations from across Greater Manchester are holding another week of activity and awareness raising.

‘It’s Not Okay’ is the result of extensive agency collaboration under Project Phoenix, the Greater Manchester response to tackling CSE. Under Project Phoenix, Greater Manchester Police, Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd, health organisations, the ten local authorities and the voluntary sector have been working together to target perpetrators and to educate young people and their carers on the warning signs of child sexual exploitation, how to stay safe, and most importantly how to get help.

The week of awareness coincides with National CSE Awareness Day (Wednesday 18 March) and will include everyday work carried out across the region as well as offering a range of special events, aiming to educate and empower young people whilst detecting and disrupting CSE-related activity and offenders.

High visibility patrols will take place across Manchester City Centre and surrounding areas, and through events, specially trained officers will speak to many children and young people, advising them about CSE and listening to any concerns.

Training inputs with workers in the hospitality sector and taxi drivers will be taking place, as well as multi-agency visits to 'premises of interest' across Greater Manchester such as pubs, off-licences and takeaways, where staff will be spoken to about spotting CSE and reporting it to authorities.

New initiatives will be launched throughout the week including a CSE poster competition for high school children and a brand new ‘ambassador’ scheme, where schools across Greater Manchester will be encouraged to move CSE up the curriculum, with the view to developing a substantial peer mentoring programme.

As well as proactive work around tackling CSE, the week of activity will showcase the progress that has been made by Greater Manchester organisations since the campaign was launched in September 2014.

Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: “We all have a responsibility to stop CSE and Project Phoenix is reflective of this joint effort to detect it, prevent it, and most importantly protect those at risk. To be clear, tackling the sexual exploitation of children and young people is our absolute priority.

“It is crucial that we do everything in our power to disrupt and prosecute individuals who prey on vulnerable children, and that these children are believed and protected. We need the help of parents, teachers and our wider community to spot the signs and stop CSE in its tracks.

“It is crucial that the children of Greater Manchester understand what child sexual exploitation is and to know where to turn.”

Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “The sexual exploitation of children is a deep-rooted problem that requires unrelenting team efforts on the part of police, local authorities, health, education, voluntary organisations and communities, not just this week but all year round.

“By training the eyes and ears of our communities, such as hotel staff and taxi drivers, we can make it increasingly difficult for perpetrators to carry out their crimes. By educating people about what child sexual exploitation is and how to spot the signs, we can encourage early intervention. By making sure that victims are listened to and supported, we can help more people to come forward and report it.”

Gary Murray, Crimestoppers North West Regional Manager, said: “The independent charity Crimestoppers are delighted to support this campaign. Each year we receive over 2,000 pieces of information with regard to sexual offences and we would encourage anyone with information to contact the charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

For more information on child sexual exploitation and who to contact if you have any concerns that a young person you know may be a victim of child sexual exploitation visit www.itsnotokay.co.uk.

You can also report it to Greater Manchester Police by calling 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If someone is in immediate danger, dial 999.