Sex abuse work 'needs timescale'

Feb 7 2012

A leading charity has called on the Children's Minister to set a "clear timescale" for research into the sexual exploitation of young people.

Barnardo's Scotland made the plea after submitting a petition to Holyrood, calling for work to be done to identify the "nature and scope of child sexual exploitation in Scotland".

Children's Minister Aileen Campbell is to be questioned on the issue when she appears before the Public Petitions Committee.

In a letter to the committee, her predecessor Angela Constance said the Scottish Government is "actively exploring how new research would best serve the various issues raised within this petition".

She added: "We hope to set out our plans in the near future."

In response, Barnardo's Scotland urged the Children's Minister to use the meeting to "set out a clear timescale for research, with clear terms of reference".

The petition from the charity said it is "seriously concerned that the true nature of this problem is not known and is on the increase".

It defines child sexual exploitation as being when someone under the age of 18 is involved in sexual activity for which money or payment-in-kind is given either to the young person themselves or to a third party.

Barnardo's Scotland said: "There are currently no national figures for the prevalence of child sexual exploitation, so the size of the problem is not known. The police and our services in Scotland are concerned that organised child sexual exploitation is on the increase."

The submission to MSPs continued: "We are concerned that the current level of child sexual exploitation in Scotland is far higher than currently known and without robust data and information, many children and young people are being put at risk of being exploited."