The young people of Greater Manchester are being urged to consider their friendships and think twice before they post images online with a week of education and activities which started Monday 21 September.
The theme for the week of action is ‘know who your friends are’, and will see agencies across Greater Manchester unite for a host of public events, professional training sessions and operational activity, promoting online safety; raising awareness of ‘peer-on-peer’ sexual exploitation and warning young people of the consequences of sending sexually explicit images of themselves – often referred to as sexting.
The week also marks a year since the launch of the ‘It’s Not Okay’ child sexual exploitation awareness campaign in Greater Manchester.
‘It’s Not Okay’ was created as part of Project Phoenix, the Greater Manchester response to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) – a collaboration of public and third sector partners throughout Greater Manchester working together to protect young people.
Since the campaign launched in September 2014, public awareness and understanding of CSE in Greater Manchester has increased considerably amongst young people and their carers, parents and guardians.
The ‘It’s Not Okay’ campaign has seen thousands of young people and their families receive advice and guidance over the last year, whether through public engagement events, media support or social media and the dedicated website – www.itsnotokay.co.uk , which has seen over 86,000 hits since its inception 12 months ago.
Over the last 12 months, Project Phoenix has undertaken substantial work with schools, healthcare providers and support services to ensure that vulnerable young people are helped at every stage – from prevention through to support and rehabilitation. Regular weeks of police enforcement, dedicated days of publicity focusing on key trends and close collaboration across Greater Manchester authorities means that hundreds more young people are being identified and safeguarded than before.
Greater Manchester Police figures show a rise of 268% in the number of incidents reported to police, up to 3258 (2014/15) from 886 (2013/14). The rise can be attributed to an increase in public awareness, as well as enhanced police officer understanding and more accurate recording of CSE reports.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said:
“Child sexual exploitation is a horrific crime and we have been working incredibly hard with partner organisations to both locate and protect those vulnerable to CSE, and bring offenders to justice.
“Since the publicity campaign last year, we have seen a noticeable rise in reports – young people and their families are more willing to come forward; they know we will take them seriously and keep them safe; and most importantly, they know that CSE is not okay.
“CSE takes many forms, including peer-on-peer exploitation and ‘sexting’. What young people need to consider though, is that sending sexually explicit images is a criminal offence if the person in the photographs is under 18.
“Even if you are happy to send these images, or the person who sends them to you is happy for you to have them, sending or sharing indecent images of a child is against the law.
“The message is simple – know who your friends are, both in real life and online. Once you’ve sent a picture of yourself to someone, it is out of your hands and out of your control. An image in the wrong hands can lead to blackmail and bullying, or even a criminal record.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said:
“Greater Manchester has made great strides in protecting children, bringing together public and voluntary agencies to tackle it. But we have got to continue to challenge and this week is about challenging perceptions of CSE. We often think of CSE as young people being groomed and abused by adults – and that is true – but increasingly victims are being sexually exploited by their so-called friends. By giving them the tools and support to keep themselves safe we can empower our young people.”
Nicola Dunn, Barnardo’s Children’s Services Manager said:
“Sadly, too many young people feel under pressure to take and share indecent images of themselves without fully understanding the potential consequences of this. Once that image is taken and shared, it becomes out of their control.
“Barnardo’s works in partnership with schools across Greater Manchester supporting teachers to deliver sex and relationships education. Our resource, Real Love Rocks raises awareness around child sexual exploitation and what a healthy, safe and respectful relationship is, whether that’s now or in the future.
“Barnardo’s has developed a series of animations and a workbook to help children and young people think and chat about relationships. Barnardo’s also has a free interactive app called ‘Wud U?’, available on Apple and Android, which is aimed at young people to raise their awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation and understand risks.”
Project Phoenix is a multi-agency response to CSE across the whole of Greater Manchester. The project brings together police, local authorities, NHS and third sector organisations, using their collective expertise to safeguard vulnerable young people at risk of exploitation and target those who would try to exploit them.
Please visit www.itsnotokay.co.uk for information for children, young people, parents, carers and professionals on how to spot the signs of child sex exploitation and what to do about it.
