Resilience - Confidence - Positivity
Who We Are
The Onion Project is an experienced, specialist, community-focused social enterprise project supporting children and young people in Somerset.
We are a trauma informed organisation, using relational practice to work alongside children and young people who are at high risk of being exploited or are currently being exploited in Somerset.
This includes both sexual and criminal exploitation.
Other areas of support that we offer include assistance for young people who are currently in the criminal justice arena, offering provision as an appropriate adult or for support during court proceedings.
Advocacy is an essential element of all work we carry out, allowing the voice of the young person to be heard.
The Onion Project work in partnership with other professionals, taking a systemic approach to tackling exploitation.
Definition of child exploitation
Child exploitation is when someone uses a child for financial gain, sexual gratification, labour or personal advantage.
Using cruel and violent treatment to force a child to take part in criminal or sexual activities often leads to physical and emotional harm to the child, to the detriment of their physical and mental health, education, and moral or social development.
“The exploitation of children can take a number of different forms and perpetrators may subject children and young people to multiple forms of abuse at the same time, such as criminal exploitation (including county lines) and sexual exploitation.”
(The Home Office, 2019 (updated 2022))
child
criminal exploitation
Child criminal exploitation “occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in… criminal activity, in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or through violence or the threat of violence.”
“They may still have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears to be something they have agreed or consented to.”
Adapted from Keeping Children safe in education 2022
CCE involves children and young people up to the age of 18.
It is important to remember that all children and young people are potentially vulnerable to exploitation and come from a range of backgrounds.
The common feature across all the forms of CCE is the imbalance of power. Children and young people will receive something in exchange for them completing acts or favours for the person exploiting them. The something may be gifts, status in a group or gang, somewhere to live, etc. The acts or favours required in return are usually criminal in nature.
The imbalance of power means that consent is not considered, and the choices that the child or young person believes that they have may be nothing of the sort.
child
sexual exploitation
CSE is a form of sexual abuse that occurs “where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in sexual activity, in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator and/or through violence or the threat of violence. CSE … can affect children, both male and female and can include children who have been moved (commonly referred to as trafficking) for the purpose of exploitation.”
“CSE can occur over time or be a one-off occurrence and may happen without the child’s immediate knowledge, for example through others sharing videos or images of them on social media.”
Adapted from Keeping Children safe in education 2022
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of sexual abuse In return for gifts, money, drugs, affection, and status, children and young people are coerced, manipulated and deceived into performing sexual activities
Children and young people can be tricked into believing they are part of a loving and consensual relationship that could be framed as friendship, mentoring or romantic
Child sexual exploitation can happen in schools, in the community and online
If you are worried a child or young person is being sexually exploited contact your Local children services, or phone the police.
Children and young people are more vulnerable to abuse when they:
- have a prior experience of neglect, physical and/or sexual abuse;
- lack a safe/stable home environment, now or in the past (due to domestic abuse or parental substance misuse, parental mental health issues or criminality, for example);
- experience a bereavement or loss;
- are socially isolated or have social difficulties;
- don’t have a safe environment to explore their sexuality;
- are economically vulnerable;
- are homeless or in insecure accommodation;
- have connections with other children and young people who are being sexually exploited;
- have family members or other connections involved in adult sex work;
- have a physical or learning disability;
- are in care (particularly those in residential care and those with interrupted care histories).
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