Scottish Government
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Action on child sexual exploitation
A programme of action to tackle child sexual exploitation in Scotland was announced yesterday by Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell.
Speaking a following conference with child protection experts Ms Campbell pledged:
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to pilot improved identification of potential victims, many of whom do not recognise themselves as victims of abuse
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improve the way child sexual exploitation is identified by Scotland’s new single police force to make this form of abuse more visible
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encourage victims to come forward through a new National Confidential Forum, providing a safe space where victims can share their experiences, and
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a new expert group to capture the lessons of sexual exploitation cases elsewhere in the UK, harnessing the expertise of the public and third sector, and make recommendations to the Scottish Government for further action and research.
She said:
“Sexual exploitation of children is a reality here in Scotland. Anyone who thinks our nation is immune from this appalling crime is simply wrong. It is a problem we face and a problem we must face up to.
“Research we published last year makes clear that there is no reason to believe that Scotland is any different from other countries in this. Our aim, therefore, must be to ensure that child sexual exploitation in Scotland can be detected, dealt with and ultimately prevented.
“What’s more, we must ensure we are learning the lessons of the shocking events in Rochdale and Rotherham.
“Scotland already has a good track record of action and one of the strongest child protection systems anywhere in the world, but we must recognise the particular difficulty in tackling child sexual exploitation. Many of the victims themselves don’t recognise that they are being exploited and that they are victims of abuse. That makes child sexual exploitation particularly hard to tackle.
“This programme of action will build on the work already underway, draw on the lessons from elsewhere, and face up to the challenge of child sexual exploitation in the future.”
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