ABSTRACT
In this chapter I argue that work with sexually exploited young people can learn from some of the policies and practices that have been developed to challenge domestic violence. I propose that the domestic violence experienced by many sexually exploited young people in their interpersonal relationships is not fully appreciated or addressed within many of the child protection interventions that are designed to support them. Indeed, much of the domestic violence experienced by some of the young people in their relationships is understood to be outside the remit of child protection. This chapter reflects on the lessons that have been learnt from work with domestic violence and suggests ways they can inform efforts to safeguard sexually exploited young people. This is not to attack the work that has developed through safeguarding chil-
dren boards, or to suggest that child protection should not be the lead initiative in protecting sexually exploited young people. Rather, it is to identify the limitations of child protection policies and procedures that have, in the main, been developed to protect younger children from familial abuse. I refer in this chapter to sexually exploited young people as those who are in their teens, going through puberty and beginning to make the transition from being a child embedded within a family (or care home) to becoming an independent adult functioning autonomously in the public domain. I do not intend to be simplistic here, implying that there can be a chronologic age below or above which a child can cope. Indeed, Chapter 8 refers to the need to look at the young person’s developmental, rather than chronological age. What I want to highlight is that traditional approaches within child protection procedures focused on safeguarding from familial abuse might not provide a framework for appropriate responses to meet the needs of many sexually exploited adolescents. I will develop this argument through four stages. Firstly, I argue that the resources and expertise available to safeguarding
children boards tend to focus on ‘child’ abuse. This means that there are challenges for safeguarding boards in their aim to protect the older age range of sexually exploited young people.
