Barnardo’s and Child Crime

Barnardo’s Supporting children who are forced into “multiple dangers”
Barnardo’s is a leading children’s charity who provides support more than 1,000 services across the UK, such as young carers, care leavers, foster carers and adoptive parents, training and skills or parenting classes.
Recently they are seeing increasing numbers of cases of children at risk of multiple dangers, including sexual and criminal exploitation.
In a survey of the charity’s managers representing 370 services revealed, nearly three quarters thought the young person had been coerced, controlled, deceived or manipulated by others into criminal activity.
According to the findings announced in advance of Barnardo’s Annual Parliamentary Reception at Portcullis House, the young people are forced to carry weapons, carry and sell drugs, go missing and end up in other parts of the country, and are subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse.
To control this problem, Barnardo’s is calling for agencies, such as the police, education, health and social care to work together on a joint approach that recognizes the long-term nature of the abuse.
“We must have a multi-agency approach which recognizes the interconnected nature of the threats facing children”, said Javed Khan, Barnardo’s Chief Executive,“Children forced into criminal activity must not be criminalize, but treated as victims and given support which priorities their safety, recovery and future outcomes”.
By analyzing some case study, some data is being found where Barnarno’s work has been helping young people from all over the UK. The charity also worked with police to identify the perpetrators to disrupt the exploitation and the local authority to support a joined-up response.
Barnardo’s service works project like The YouTurn service in London, an anti-gang project delivering group work in schools and the community with young people at risk of becoming involved in criminal gangs, Boys 2 Young People which identifies boys who have experienced abuse and who may be at risk of being criminally exploited.
“I’m proud to be a Barnardo’s ambassador and back its vital work supporting thousands of vulnerable children and young people throughout the UK. Television has an important and powerful part to play in highlighting how children are criminally and sexually exploited” said Barnardo’s Ambassador and actor Chris Harper who played child abuser Nathan Curtis in Coronation Street.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi