Transcript www.beds.ac.uk/research/iasr UK Youth Advisors on Preventing Sexual Exploitation Cynthia: NIA Project & the Children’s Society Leonie: Barnardo’s SECOS Project Vicky: Streetreach Project Lucy: Independent trainer and author.

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UK Youth Advisors on Preventing Sexual
Exploitation
Cynthia: NIA Project & the
Children’s Society
Leonie: Barnardo’s SECOS Project
Vicky: Streetreach Project
Lucy: Independent trainer and
author
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Introduction
We are part of the UK delegation with the principle aim of working towards the
eradication of sexual violence against children and young people. The group is
coordinated by staff at the University of Bedfordshire. We come from different
organisations and different parts of England. As a group we are committed to working
in partnership with one another and with other conference participants to share
learning and understanding, create new dialogues and to develop new ways of
moving forward with this work. Young people’s role and contribution to this work is of
central importance. We believe that working to ensure that this conference launching
the campaign to stop sexual violence against children is accessible to everyone,
including young people, will help to create a more positive environment for all
participants.
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Introduction cont’d
The role of the UK Youth Advisors
The youth advisors have come to Rome to share learning about the participation of
children and young people in work to stop sexual violence against children. The youth
advisors within our group have been involved in working with a range of different
projects. They are young experts who bring additional knowledge and perspectives to
this work. They all have prior experience of working alongside professionals and other
young people to raise awareness and understanding of child sexual exploitation within
the UK. We recognise that talking about sexual violence towards children is difficult
for everyone. We also recognise that sometimes children and young people are not
included in discussions or decisions about work in this area. This may be for good
reasons, with the aim of protecting young people from further abuse or
victimisation. However we believe it is valuable to provide a platform for young
people's voices. We have learnt that there are ways in which this can be done in a
safe way, protecting young people from further harm or abuse while providing them
with opportunities to develop their own knowledge, confidence and skills.
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Cynthia - Young Trainer
NIA Project & the Children’s Society
The nia project is a London based organisation working with women and
children who have experienced violence against women. In partnership with
the Children’s Society (London Youth at Risk Project) it has run a young
trainers programme for the past two years. The programme works with
young people to design and deliver training on sexual exploitation for adult
professionals who work with young people who may be at risk.
For more information contact: Nicola Weller [email protected]
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Working to combat sexual exploitation
Cynthia:
• Delivering training sessions and workshops for
professionals and young people
• Taking the role of co-facilitator or workshop leader
• Aiming to promote further understanding of sexual
exploitation
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What I have learnt
• When delivering training to professionals they are
often surprised to see a young person come in and
train them
• Young people respond well to trainers their own age
• Adults often encourage young people to participate
but then don’t take young people seriously
• Young people know what it is like to be young:
remember that being young now is different to how
it was when you were young
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Encouraging other young people to come
forward
• I urge all nations before me to allow young people
to work with you on this issue; to encourage other
young people to come forward and let someone
know that there’s a problem
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Leonie – Peer Educator and Youth Advisor
Barnardos SECOS Project
Barnardo’s Sexually Exploited Children Outreach Services (SECOS) based in
Middlesbrough offers support to young people being sexually exploited in the
South Tees area. It also offers training to professionals around sexual
exploitation, trafficking, sexual abuse, self-harm and sexually harmful
behaviour. The project works with young people in the Tees Valley, and their
bases are located in Middlesbrough and Stockton.
For more information contact: Wendy Shepherd
[email protected]
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Teaching young people how to protect
themselves
Leonie:
• Delivering workshops to young people who go
missing
• Young people understand today’s real life issues
• Raising awareness of the factors that “push” and
“pull” young people into risky situations
• Giving young people coping strategies to keep
themselves safe and be protected
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Making policies which reflect young
people’s views
• Contributing to a national advisory group of young
people to raise awareness about sexual exploitation
• Bringing young people from across England together
• Giving out questionnaires to agencies and lobbying
policy makers
• Informing the government that young people’s
voices are missing and lobbying to get them heard
and involved.
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Vicky – Creative writing project participant and
young advisor
Streetreach Project Doncaster
The overall aim of the STREETREACH Project is to provide a confidential
service for adults involved in or at risk of prostitution and for children and
young people who are being sexual exploited. In order to work towards this
aim and make contact with our target group we provide an
outreach/detached provision and a centre-based provision. Our aim is to help
our clients to move on to more positive, safer, healthier lifestyles.
Contact: Marilyn Haughton: [email protected]
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It’s hard to be really honest
Vicky:
• I hadn’t talked about what was happening before
because I didn’t want people to think I was bad or
stupid
• It can be exciting when you first meet with men and
the more that adults tell you not to do something
the harder it becomes to tell adults what’s going on.
• I didn’t want to tell the truth at first but it’s
important the project staff didn’t give up on me
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If you listen you just might hear
• I contributed to writing a book of young people’s
stories and had time to explain things in my own
words
• It felt safe writing things down, knowing that no-one
would change my words
• The book contains material that’s accessible and
meaningful for young people
• Moving on isn’t easy, but it helps to be able to share
things without being judged
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Keeping young people safe
Lucy: Independent trainer and author
• Written a book about my experiences
• Working with a project that previously supported
me: delivering training and preventative work in
schools
• Group work with young people who are sexually
exploited
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Helping other young people see a brighter
future
• Instead of just focusing on the risks in young
people’s lives I support them with their ambitions to
help them be able to see a brighter future
• Contributing to the writing of procedures with local
government child protection procedures
• Having a young person help write the safeguarding
procedures makes a big difference in how authorities
deal with the victims
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Three things to take away
• We need to involve more young people to work
alongside professionals to support young victims of
sexual violence.
• Children and young people are very good at knowing
what adults want to hear. Therefore children and
young people only tell certain parts of what is really
happening.
• Professional language can be alienating and hard for
young people to make sense of.
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Thank you
For more information please contact:
[email protected]