Hansard

I begin by thanking the committee clerking team for their hard work and their efforts in helping us put together the report.

I also thank the numerous organisations, individuals and public bodies involved in the committee’s inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Scotland. The contributions and evidence they provided have proved invaluable and have allowed the committee to conduct what I believe is an in-depth examination of the current measures in place to prevent and tackle the sexual exploitation of children in Scotland.

I extend particular gratitude to Barnardo’s Scotland, which submitted the public petition that provided the impetus for our inquiry. Its engagement with the committee has been crucial, and I commend it for raising such an important issue with the Scottish Parliament.

The sexual exploitation of children has become a more prominent issue in recent years, largely due to extensive media coverage of child exploitation gangs in various parts of the UK. That has instigated a greater focus on the issue in Scotland, but more must be done to improve the ability of services to identify victims and potential victims of child sexual exploitation, to support those children and to target the predators.

The committee’s report makes it clear that data collection on the prevalence of child sexual exploitation in Scotland is inconsistent and underresourced and that there is a need for improved data collection tools. However, from the information that is available, I was shocked to learn that many of the estimates of prevalence are relatively high. For example, according to case study research undertaken by the centre for excellence for looked-after children in Scotland, around one in four children in care is a victim of child sexual exploitation, and that figure is expected to be considerably higher for some of the most vulnerable groups. That alone indicates that we have much to learn as a nation about how to tackle this despicable crime.

One of the areas on which I would like to focus is the need for more widespread and comprehensive preventive education among young people. In today’s society, children are increasingly socialised into believing certain negative stereotypes about boys and girls and about what is normal behaviour in terms of sexual relationships. We need to address such attitudes at an early stage to reduce the risk of children thinking that it is normal or acceptable for anyone to coerce them into engaging in sexual behaviour.

Although there are already some examples of good practice in schools of educating children about healthy relationships, mutual respect and sexual boundaries, the committee found that there is a need to expand such practices much more widely in educational institutions and other youth settings across Scotland. The committee has been made aware of some excellent educational resources, such as those produced by Barnardo’s Scotland, that are already freely available. Many of them can be readily accessed via the website of the NWG Network—the national working group for sexually exploited children and young people.

Another aspect of the report that I would like to highlight is the lack of therapeutic and emotional support services available consistently throughout Scotland for young people affected by sexual exploitation. The committee found, throughout the course of our inquiry, that many young people feel that they have no one they can trust to confide in. It appears that there is often a general mistrust of social care workers among victims, due to a fear of being judged and labelled, which may be down to a lack of training and awareness in the sector. We need to break down those barriers or at least ensure the availability of alternative services such as ChildLine, which can offer valuable support when children feel that they have nowhere else to turn.

Connected to that issue is the provision of refuges for those who have broken free from child sexual exploitation and need a temporary base while they make contact with the services that can help them. The committee was informed that Scotland’s only such refuge for under-16s—run by Aberlour in the Glasgow area—closed in June 2013 and that there has been no facility in place since.

The availability of a safe place to go might significantly increase the likelihood of victims to seek help and might also play a key role in preventing the re-entry of children into sexual exploitation circles. I therefore strongly support the committee’s recommendation that consideration should be given to placing a duty on all local authorities to provide suitable refuges for the victims of child sexual exploitation.

The final matter I would like to address is the role of the third sector in preventing and tackling child sexual exploitation. Throughout the course of our inquiry, it has become overwhelmingly clear that charities and voluntary organisations make a significant contribution in this area. I believe that more must be done to acknowledge that and to support those organisations to continue the work that they do. Time and again, we have heard evidence that suggests that, without the support of organisations such as Barnardo’s, Eighteen and Under, Who Cares? Scotland and many others, victims of child sexual exploitation would not have been able to break free from abuse.

Third sector organisations appear to have an enhanced ability to build trust with young people who as a result become more likely to engage with other support services. We should use the expertise and experience of the third sector to co-ordinate our efforts to tackle child sexual exploitation at a national level.

In that context, a major element is the need to improve the sharing of intelligence about alleged perpetrators between police and the third sector. Third-sector organisations seem to have a distinct advantage in that regard, due to their capacity to gain victims’ trust. Good examples of such practice include the partnership between Barnardo’s Scotland and police in Renfrewshire, and the multi-agency approach that Glasgow child protection committee has adopted. If we can develop co-ordination with the third sector across the board, it seems likely that we will see significant benefits in outcomes for children and in the identification of offenders and the rate of prosecution.

I am a member of the Public Petitions Committee, and my experience of the inquiry has been both harrowing and rewarding. Although it was very upsetting to hear evidence of young people who have been subjected to sexual exploitation in Scotland, I have been reassured that good work is being done up and down the country to help to protect vulnerable children.

It is clear from our investigation that more needs to be done to co-ordinate the actions of all the agencies that are involved: on data collection, preventative education, training for people in the care industry, the provision of therapeutic services for young people, and law enforcement. I therefore support the committee’s recommendation that the Scottish Government develop a national strategy for tackling child sexual exploitation. If that happens, I am positive that we can improve the services that we provide nationally, to ensure that every child, regardless of where they live in Scotland, has equal access to the support that they need if they are to avoid becoming a victim of child sexual exploitation, as well as the support that they would need to deal with the consequences of becoming a victim.

I again thank everyone who was involved in the committee’s inquiry, and I ask members to join me in commending the report to the Scottish Government.