Gangs and child exploitation

A young person on a bus

Exploitation is when someone builds a relationship with a child to manipulate them. Child criminal exploitation is when a young person is manipulated by a criminal or gang.

For some young people, being a part of a gang gives them a sense of belonging and identity. There are many reasons they might join a gang.

Reasons young people might join a gang include:

  • Respect and status
  • Seeking friendship
  • A sense of belonging
  • Looking for a thrill
  • Peer pressure
  • Financial gain
  • Wanting power and/or protection

Often young people will not see themselves as being part of a ‘gang’ but that they just very committed to their ‘friends.’

Quick links

Quick links

Gangs and child exploitation

A young person on a bus

Exploitation is when someone builds a relationship with a child to manipulate them. Child criminal exploitation is when a young person is manipulated by a criminal or gang.

For some young people, being a part of a gang gives them a sense of belonging and identity. There are many reasons they might join a gang.

Reasons young people might join a gang include:

  • Respect and status
  • Seeking friendship
  • A sense of belonging
  • Looking for a thrill
  • Peer pressure
  • Financial gain
  • Wanting power and/or protection

Often young people will not see themselves as being part of a ‘gang’ but that they just very committed to their ‘friends.’

County lines

County lines is when gangs exploit children to transport and sell drugs, typically between cities to smaller towns. Those involved have dedicated phone lines for taking orders, they use children who are less likely to be stopped by police. This activity is criminal exploitation and allows adult dealers to avoid the risk of arrest.

Taking advantage of a young person, to then persuade them into carrying out criminal acts is exploitation.

Young people may be recruited through grooming, this can happen in four stages.

Stages of grooming

  • Targeting: they are befriended through social media or their peer group, and their trust is gained.
  • Experience: they are offered new experiences in the form of gifts, money, drugs, alcohol as a way to control them.
  • Hooked: they become involved in criminal activities, taking on increasing responsibility within the group. They may initially feel as it is a choice.
  • Trapped: they may find they are trapped, unable to leave. They may be controlled through threats against them or their family or attacked to ensure they are too afraid to tell anyone.
A young person wearing headphones looking at a smartphone

Know the signs of child exploitation

There are some things you can look out for if you’re worried your child may have joined a gang and/or is a victim of criminal exploitation. These include:

  • Staying out at night or going missing for days
  • Being isolated and withdrawn
  • Having new things and money they can’t explain
  • Owning weapons, balaclavas, or digital scales
  • Frequent unexplained phone calls
  • Seeming edgy or anxious after calls, texts or messages
  • Having multiple phones
  • Being in a new friendship circle including older people
  • Not going to school/college or a change in performance
  • Being in trouble or found in possession of drugs

If your child is involved in a gang and this has impacted your family, please reach out. There are services available to support you and your family through this challenging time.

A young person on a bus

Resources

Guiding Young Minds: provide specialist support for young people, empowering them to overcome challenges in their lives. They offer mentoring, giving guidance to young people and specialist support parents in supporting their children. 

    Service Six: specialises in providing mental health and wellbeing support for young people and their families.  Offering a variety of support from therapy, family support sessions, group support. To get support complete the self-referral form on their website.

      The Mix: is a support service for young people offering advice on a lot of topics from beak-ups, county lines to mental health. For those aged 11-24 they provide free counselling online.

      • You can contact their crisis messenger 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by texting THEMIX to 85258

        Missing People: Run SafeCall a free, confidential and anonymous helpline and support service for young people and family members that are affected by missing, county lines and criminal exploitation.

        The Children’s Society : provide information and advice on county lines and criminal exploitation. They offer advice for young people and can direct you to further support services.