Child exploitation signs: what schools should look for

Child exploitation is abuse. Someone uses an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into sexual or criminal activity. The child often receives something they need or want, such as money, gifts, drugs or affection.

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse. Child criminal exploitation (CCE) means a child is made to commit crime, such as moving drugs or money, or carrying weapons. The two often overlap, and both affect boys and girls.

These terms come from UK guidance, including Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), the statutory guidance that many British schools overseas follow. The patterns appear in every country, although local law and local words differ.

A child cannot consent to being exploited, and many do not see themselves as victims. Some believe they are in a loving relationship. KCSIE says this includes 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally consent to sex.

No single sign proves exploitation, and each has other possible causes. A group of signs, or one that keeps returning, tells you more. KCSIE lists these shared indicators of sexual and criminal exploitation:

• Unexplained gifts, money or new possessions
• Going missing for periods of time, or regularly coming home late
• Regularly missing school or not taking part in lessons
• Changes in emotional wellbeing, such as withdrawal or anger
• Alcohol or drug use
• Friends who are already involved in exploitation

People who exploit children build trust before they ask for anything. They give attention, praise and presents. The child feels special and may feel they owe something back.

KCSIE lists an older boyfriend or girlfriend as an indicator of CSE. Look at the gap in age, money and control. The person may be an adult, an older student, or a young adult who offers lifts, phones, vapes or a place to go.

In a wealthy school community, a new phone may look ordinary. Pay attention to who gave it and why. A child who cannot say, or whose story keeps changing, is worth a note to your designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

Do not argue with the child about the relationship, and do not call the person an abuser. Say what you saw, write it down and pass it on. Note any friends who are brought along, because one concern can point to several children.

Contact often starts in games, social media or chat apps. The person is friendly, shares the child's interests and soon suggests a private app.

UNICEF says people who abuse children online often build trust with the child, or with a parent, before pressing for sexual images or videos. Some abuse is livestreamed. Others threaten to share images unless the child pays or sends more, which the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) calls sextortion.

Gangs also recruit online. KCSIE says children are increasingly targeted through social media, and a gang can invent a drug debt that the child must work off. The NSPCC lists several phones or SIM cards, and sending money or game currency to someone online, as warning signs.

Messages can arrive at any hour. A child who looks tired, hides the screen or panics when a phone buzzes may be under pressure from someone online. The guide to grooming warning signs covers the early pattern.

KCSIE calls repeated or long absence a vital warning sign. It can point to sexual exploitation, and to county lines, where gangs use children to sell drugs far from home.

Look for a child who is later found far from home, will not explain where they were, or comes back with money, new items or injuries.

In an international school, missing can mean skipping the school bus, leaving a boarding house at night or slipping away on a trip. Know who checks each of these.

Act on the first unexplained absence if it fits the pattern. Have a calm welcome-back chat and pass what you hear to the DSL. The guide to children missing from education covers attendance systems.

Follow your school's child protection procedure and tell the DSL the same day. If a child is in immediate danger, call your local emergency services first. Write down what you saw or heard, using the child's own words, the date and the time.

Never promise to keep a secret. Do not confront the adult, press the child for detail or search a phone. Do not tell the family unless the DSL says so, because a relative may be involved.

If a child does tell you, the guide on responding when a child discloses abuse covers the full conversation. These short sentences help:

• "Thank you for telling me. You are not in trouble."
• "You did nothing wrong. Adults should not ask this of a child."
• "I cannot keep this secret. I need to tell the person whose job is to keep you safe."
• "I will tell you what happens next."
• To a quiet child: "I have noticed you seem worried. I am here if you want to talk."

Check that the child is safe today. Record the concern, then look for a pattern across other notes, such as absences, new phones, new friends and online incidents.

Take local advice before you decide who to tell. Mandatory reporting laws differ by country, and in some places a child linked to drug or sexual offences may face charges. Ask a local lawyer or child protection agency, and do not delay protecting the child while you wait.

Treat the child as a victim. KCSIE says exploited children can be criminalised for acts done under pressure, and that a child who exploits others may be a victim too. Extra support helps keep them in school.

• Speak to the child briefly, with a trusted adult nearby
• Refer to local child protection services, the police or both, following local law
• Decide what parents are told and when, after thinking about who may be involved
• Check for other children linked to the same person, group or app
• Secure any device that may hold sexual images, without viewing or forwarding them
• Plan support, such as a trusted adult and a safe route home
• Record each decision and the reason

Staff who have practised the pattern are more likely to speak up early. Build a short briefing around examples from your own campus.

Teach students what a healthy relationship looks like and who they can tell. Put the local emergency number and a child helpline where staff and students can find them. Child Helpline International lists helplines by country.

Give parents the early warning signs in plain words, and without blame. A quick check of these basics shows where you stand:

• Every adult knows the DSL, the deputy and the same-day rule
• Drivers, boarding staff, security and coaches are in the briefing, because they see different things
• Absence and late-arrival checks have a named owner
• Your online safety rules say how to report a request for images
• The handbook lists police, child protection and helpline contacts for your country