Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Willow and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Exploitation and it fits into the unit Power in Relationships.

How can we keep safe? During this lesson we are going to be talking about mental health, crime and other sensitive content.

So for this lesson we require you to have an adult with you.

If you don't have an adult with you at the moment, please come back to this lesson when you do have one with you.

And if at any point during this lesson you feel worried or uncomfortable, please stop the lesson and speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start.

By the end of today's lesson you'll be able to describe the signs of exploitation and you'll be able to explain where someone could access support.

Before we get started with today's lesson we need to go over some ground rules.

These help to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else we should challenge the statement and not the person themselves.

Next, Andrew says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that identify anyone, including ourselves.

If we want to share a story or an experience we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we're not going to give away any identifying information.

Next, Jacob says no We can explore any beliefs and misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in with discussion.

We should never put anyone on the spot.

Now let's take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

First of all, we have the word exploitation.

This means using or treating someone unfairly to benefit yourself, often by taking advantage of their situation or lack of power.

Next, we have grooming.

This is when an adult builds trust with a young person to manipulate them for harmful purposes, often leading to abuse or exploitation.

Next, we have the word coerce.

This means to force someone to do something against their will through threats, pressure, or intimidation.

And finally, we have the word trafficking.

This is the illegal moving of people by force or deception to exploit them, often through forced work or abuse.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is what are the signs and risks of exploitation? And our second learning cycle is called how can you get help or report concerns? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle.

What are the signs and risks of exploitation? The word exploitation comes from French and originally meant to make use of.

But now specifically, it means using someone unfairly for your own benefit.

Young people can sadly be exploited in different ways, such as child sexual exploitation, often called CSE.

Child criminal exploitation, often called CCE, and child trafficking.

No form of exploitation is ever the child's fault.

First of all, we're going to talk about child sexual exploitation or CSE.

This is when an individual or group uses a power imbalance to groom and coerce a young person under the age of 18 into sexual acts, either with promises of something such as gifts, attention, or protection, or with threats.

A young person exploited in this way is often led to believe that they're in a normal, healthy, and loving relationship or friendship.

They may not even realize that they're a victim of exploitation, CSE can happen to anyone under the age of 18, regardless of their gender, and it can happen both online and in person.

Police officer Paula explained that some of the signs of child sexual exploitation are having more money, clothes, or possessions, isolation from friends and family, showing signs of drug or alcohol misuse or dependency, becoming more secretive, showing changes in well-being, and using inappropriate sexualized language.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Which of the following could be signs of child sexual exploitation or CSE? A.

Using inappropriate sexualized language, B.

Becoming more social with family and friends or C.

Becoming more secretive.

Which of those could be signs of child sexual exploitation? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A and C are correct.

Some signs of child sexual exploitation could be using inappropriate sexualized language and becoming more secretive.

Well done if you got this right.

Now we're going to talk about CCE, or child criminal exploitation.

This is when individuals or gangs groom a young person under the age of 18 into criminal activity, with the promise of something that the young person wants, such as money, status, friendship, or community.

Once they've entered into the gang, the individual or the gang will coerce the young person into criminal behavior through force or threats of violence.

This can happen online or in person, and it can lead to involvement in very dangerous illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, which is moving and selling illegal drugs, often as part of county lines.

There are different forms of CCE.

First of all, we have gangs.

This is recruitment into organized criminal groups that control young people through violence and threats.

There's also financial exploitation, so opening bank accounts under the name of the young person, but controlled by an individual or gang.

And debt *******.

This is where gangs or people who groom others lend money to a young person and then use this as leverage to coerce them into criminal behavior.

There's also county lines.

This is where gangs use young people to transport and sell drugs from cities or larger urban areas to smaller towns and rural areas.

And there's other forms too, like storing or holding drugs or weapons in a young person's house, forced begging, shoplifting, busking, or harming others.

These are all examples of CCE, or child criminal exploitation.

Police officer Kofi says that some of the signs of child criminal exploitation are having more money, clothes, or possessions than as usual, beginning to associate with gangs, gang culture, and behavior, spending lots of time out of their local area, having friendships with people older than them, showing signs of physical assault such as bruises, being more secretive, and extreme changes in behavior.

We're now going to do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to match each type of child criminal exploitation or CCE to its correct description.

Here are the different types of child criminal exploitation.

A, county lines.

B, financial exploitation.

And C, gang recruitment.

Here are the different descriptions.

Number one, using a young person's identity to open bank accounts for criminal activity.

Number two, forcing young people into criminal groups through violence.

And number three, transporting and selling drugs between cities and towns.

Can you match each type of child criminal exploitation to its correct description? Pause the video and we'll go through the correct answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what our correct answers were.

A, county lines matches with three, transporting and selling drugs between cities and towns.

B, financial exploitation matches with number one, using a young person's identity to open bank accounts for criminal activity.

And C, gang recruitment matches with number two, forcing young people into criminal groups through violence.

Well done if you match these up correctly.

We're now going to talk about child trafficking.

This can involve moving a young person from one place to another in order to exploit them.

It can occur between countries or within the same local area.

People can be trafficked into slavery or forced labor in industries such as agriculture or factories, criminal activity, sexual exploitation, domestic slavery for cleaning, child care or cooking, and forced marriage.

Police officer Paula says that while there are some possible signs of trafficking, these aren't always visible or easy to spot, and not every victim will show these signs.

Some warning signs may include being unsure of who a young person's parents, carers, or guardians are, having a tattoo or brand mark which traffickers may use to show ownership, seem to spend time with unknown people at their homes or getting into cars or taxis, and physical signs of abuse or malnourishment.

Grooming and exploitation increasingly happen online too, and this might involve someone building a relationship with a young person through social media, gaming platforms or messaging apps, asking for personal information, photos or videos, asking to meet in person, gradually introducing inappropriate conversations or requests, offering gifts, money or online currency like gaming credits.

Remember that people online may not be who they say they are, and someone who seems friendly and understanding at first may have harmful intentions.

It's safest not to have conversations with people online who you don't know in real life.

Exploitation often happens when someone builds trust first.

The person exploiting might not be a stranger, sometimes they might be someone that the young person knows, like a friend, family member, partner, or someone that they met online.

Exploiters use gifts, kindness, and attention to manipulate young people so that they can later control or pressure them into harmful situations.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Which of the following statements about exploitation are true? A.

Exploiters often build trust before exploiting someone.

B.

Exploitation can only happen with strangers.

C.

Exploitation can be carried out by someone the victim knows.

Or D.

Exploitation can happen online as well as in person.

Which of those statements about exploitation are true? Pause the video, talk to people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A, C, and D are correct.

It's true that exploiters often build trust before exploiting someone, that exploitation can be carried out by someone the victim knows, and that exploitation can happen online as well as in person.

The statement that exploitation can only happen with strangers is not true.

Sometimes young people are exploited by people that they already know.

Well done if you remembered this.

Young people who experience any form of exploitation, including CSE, CCE, and trafficking, face serious risks, including serious mental health conditions, physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, isolation from others and distrust, involvement in criminal behavior and activities, and death or serious injury.

These are all risks of exploitation, and they're all really serious.

Let's do another check for understanding.

Which of the following is a risk of exploitation? A, increased connection to friends and family, B, isolation and distrust of others, or C, increased safety and security.

Which of those is a risk of exploitation? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B is correct.

A risk of exploitation is isolation and distrust of others.

Well done if you remembered this.

We're now moving on to our first practice task, and well done for your hard work in this lesson so far.

I'd like you to answer the following questions.

Number one, give three signs of exploitation.

For each sign that you give, I'd like you to explain why this might indicate exploitation.

And number two, what are some of the risks of exploitation? Pause the video and we'll go through some model answers in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For question one, give three signs of exploitation.

You might have said that possessing any material items like mobile phones or clothes could be a sign because exploiters often give gifts to groom young people and make them feel special or indebted to them.

Becoming more secretive.

This could indicate exploitation because the young person might be hiding what's happening from family and friends, either because they've been told to keep secrets or because they feel ashamed, and spending lots of time outside of their local area.

This could be a sign of county lines exploitation, where young people are used to transport drugs to different areas.

You might have said for question number two, what are some of the risks of exploitation? You might have said exploitation puts young people at serious risk of becoming involved in dangerous and criminal behavior.

If a young person is being exploited, they may experience serious mental health conditions.

They're also at risk of harmful physical and sexual abuse and may become involved in substance abuse.

Exploitation might also make young people feel isolated from loved ones and cause them to develop a distrust in others.

Well done if your answers for these questions were anything like mine.

We're now moving on to our second and final learning cycle.

Well done for your hard work so far.

This learning cycle is called how can you get help or report concerns? Unfortunately, the number of young people who have been trafficked is hard to measure, as many victims are hiding in plain sight.

This means that they may be living in communities, going to school, or working in places that we see every day, but their situation just isn't obvious to others.

Exploitation is never the fault of the young person.

Young people may not come forward about exploitation for many reasons.

They might not realize that they've been exploited, or they may feel ashamed, scared of getting into trouble, or worried about retaliation from those that are exploiting them.

Some believe that they're in a genuine relationship with their exploiter, while others feel isolated and unsure who to turn to for help.

They may worry that they won't be believed.

Several UK laws protect people from exploitation.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Children Act 1989 and 2004, and the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

These laws make it a crime to control, exploit, or harm another person.

Under UK law, it's illegal to coerce a child into sexual activity, facilitate child grooming, meet a child as a result of grooming, sexually exploit a child, either in person or online, or involve children in criminal activity and trafficking.

The law sees people experiencing exploitation as victims, not criminals themselves.

This means that even if someone has been forced to commit crimes while being exploited, they should be treated as a victim who needs help, not as a criminal.

Those found guilty of exploitation offenses can face serious prison sentences, including life imprisonment for CSE, trafficking, and child slavery.

However, the law's main focus is on protecting victims and preventing harm to others, not just punishing offenders.

Let's do another check for understanding.

If a young person has been forced to commit a crime while being exploited, how does the UK law view them? Can you remember? Pause the video, talk to people around you, or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that the UK law views them as a victim who needs protection and support, not as a criminal.

The law recognizes that they were being controlled and exploited.

Well done if your answer was something like this.

If you or someone that you know is involved in or is a victim of exploitation, there are people and organizations that you can go to for support.

Police Officer Kofi says that in an emergency, you can call 999 and speak to the police.

If you feel that yours or someone else's life is in danger, it's important that you report it as an emergency and seek help immediately.

To report concerns that are not an emergency, contact the police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

Social worker Natalie says that there are local safeguarding hubs in your area, where social workers help to support and protect vulnerable young people.

You can contact your local safeguarding hub to report exploitation of any kind and they will work to help you.

Josephine, who's a charity helpline worker, says that there are also helplines people can call, such as Childline or Crimestoppers.

You can call these if you, someone else or someone that you suspect is the victim of exploitation.

You can also speak to a teacher or another trusted adult in your life, including medical professionals.

They can report concerns on your behalf and make sure that you get the support that you need.

You can also seek support if you worry that someone is exploiting someone else.

David, who's a youth worker, says if you're worried about your safety online, keep evidence if you can, for example with screenshots and messages, but don't put yourself at risk to do so.

Block and report accounts that make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe and never share personal information, your location or intimate images with people that you've met online.

Ms Walsh, who's a designated safeguarding lead, says that recognizing the signs of exploitation can help to protect people and stop harm before it happens.

Remember that it's never okay for anyone to pressure, control or coerce another person into sexual or criminal behavior.

This is considered to be a crime.

If you or someone that you know feels unsafe or pressured, especially if someone is making promises that involve risky or harmful behavior, it's really important that you tell a trusted adult or report it straight away.

Let's do another check for understanding.

If someone is concerned about exploitation, who could they speak to? Pause the video, talk to people around you or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that if someone is concerned about exploitation, they could speak to the police, a social worker, a teacher or member of school support staff, an NHS worker such as a doctor or a nurse or a helpline worker.

Well done if your ideas were something like this.

We're now moving on to our final practice task and well done for your hard work in this lesson.

We're going to read the scenario and then I'd like you to answer the questions.

Oscar, who is 15, has recently started spending time with a new group of older friends.

At first they seemed kind and offered him free food and clothes.

Over time they began asking Oscar to run small errands like delivering packages and keeping secrets from his family.

When Oscar said that he didn't want to do it anymore, one of them threatened to tell people lies about him online.

Oscar feels scared and he's unsure who to talk to.

I'd like you to answer these questions.

Number one, what type of situation might Oscar be in and why could it be dangerous? Number two, who could Oscar talk to for help and support? And number three, if a friend was in Oscar's position, what could you do to help them safely? Pause the video and go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

For question one, what type of situation might Oscar be in and why could it be dangerous? You might have said that Oscar might be a victim of child criminal exploitation or trafficking because he's being controlled and threatened to do things that he doesn't want to do.

This is dangerous because Oscar could be forced into criminal activity like county lines which puts him at risk of violence, arrest and serious harm.

The threats show that the older friends are using coercion to control him.

For question two, who could Oscar talk to for help and support? You might have said that Oscar could speak to a trusted adult such as a teacher, social worker or the police.

He could also contact child line or crime stoppers for confidential help.

And number three, if a friend was in Oscar's position, what could you do to help him safely? You might have said something like, if a friend was in Oscar's position, it would be important to tell a trusted adult straight away rather than trying to handle it alone so that professionals can step in to keep them safe.

Well done if your answers were anything like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that exploitation is the grooming and coercing of individuals for criminal activities, sexual activities or trafficking.

Some of the risks of exploitation include abuse, mental health conditions and isolation.

There are many different signs of exploitation such as having more possessions, changes in well-being and becoming secretive.

But exploitation can also be difficult to spot.

Exploitation is a crime and it's never the fault of the child or the young person experiencing it.

Exploitation should be reported to the police, other support organizations or trusted adults to keep people safe.

During this lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions and if you do, it's really important that you share them with a trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you too.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.