Hansard

As a member of the Public Petitions Committee since 2008, I found the petition one of the most challenging that I have faced, given the subject matter that we discussed. I thank Barnardo’s Scotland for submitting the petition, and I thank the clerks, Dr Sarah Nelson, who acted as the committee’s adviser, and all the witnesses who provided both written and oral evidence for consideration. In particular, I thank those young people who provided written evidence on their experiences. Without that evidence, we might have missed a vital element of what we are trying to do, not only as a Parliament but as a society, to address the issues.

Barnardo’s Scotland called for new research into the nature and scope of child sexual exploitation in Scotland. The petition was considered at a time when there was a national spotlight on high-profile cases, with allegations of child sexual exploitation being investigated. The minister referred to the Savile inquiry, but at the time there were also national press reports of cases in towns and cities in England and elsewhere.

The committee noted that a number of working groups have been established, with researchers commencing work on the issue, but we still felt that it was important for the committee to take on the issue and carry out its own investigation in order to add to the debate and to identify cross-cutting issues without referring the petition on to the Education and Sport Committee, the Justice Committee or whoever else. The committee considered ways in which to fully investigate the issues behind the petition, and we felt that they required a detailed inquiry and a committee report to be presented to the Parliament.

The issue under discussion—child sexual exploitation—is not an easy subject area to address, nor is it straightforward to find a solution to it. Good practice is taking place in Scotland, but it is disjointed and there is a lack of key agencies taking a leadership role. As has been stated, it is not a comfortable subject, but the role of a Parliament and its committees is to highlight wrongdoing and demand action when appropriate, especially if that involves protecting victims.

The availability of data is critical to this difficult subject area, as was noted by the national working group for sexually exploited children and young people when it visited Scotland in October 2013. It reported that estimates gained from agencies showed that the number of young people accessing services could be anything from 64 to 300 annually. It also found much concern about underreporting, and I share that disquiet.

As other members have stated, the committee recommends that

“the Scottish Government should develop a National Strategy for tackling child sexual exploitation”.

Such a strategy must bring together the different departments of Government to tackle the issue in the most appropriate way.

The Scottish Government commissioned the University of Bedfordshire to continue its work of piloting and monitoring its self-evaluation tool with a local authority. The committee’s work in that area highlights the need for some direct action, especially in relation to young people in residential care. We heard that there are intrinsic risks for looked-after children, and evidence that was provided by Who Cares? Scotland highlighted that

“The issue becomes about the young person rather than about the perpetrators who are involved with them.”—[Official Report, Public Petitions Committee, 11 June 2013; c 1433.]

That raises issues about the powers that exist to protect young people, which require further clarification particularly with regard to looked-after children and the stigma that is associated with such exploitation. The committee’s recommendation that

“the Care Inspectorate should make CSE a detailed area of inspection for local authorities and all organisations that accommodate children”

is therefore to be welcomed.

Other members referred to the serious issues around protecting vulnerable young people. I have no doubt that the associated media coverage of the sexual abuse and exploitation of young people in recent months has shone a light on the darker parts of society, which are frankly shocking and at times difficult to believe.

The case studies with which Barnardo’s and Eighteen and Under provided the committee detail the serious problems that are associated with looked-after children. The committee’s report highlights the common perception that CSE involves female victims and male perpetrators. The committee is well aware that there are male victims—indeed, the convener mentioned a young male victim of sexual exploitation in his opening speech—but it also noted Professor Stalker’s evidence, which showed that

“boys are disproportionately represented among disabled children and young people who had been abused”—[Official Report, Public Petitions Committee, 29 October 2013; c 1749.]

in comparison with their representation among abused young people without disabilities.

I draw the minister’s attention to the committee’s recommendation on reporting where it is identified that young disabled children have been sexually abused. That information is not normally entered in official records, so we are asking that those records be updated and the evidence entered to give a fuller picture of the way in which young disabled children are dealt with.

One of the committee’s key recommendations is

“that development of a national strategy takes account of young men as a particular target group.”

Although we found the evidence difficult to listen to, our experience in no way compares with the suffering that some of our young people in Scotland have to endure daily. More work with front-line voluntary sector organisations is needed, because the evidence from such organisations was compelling, and the work that they do often goes unrecognised by statutory agencies.

I welcome the opportunity to raise awareness of the fact that more must be done to reduce instances of child sexual exploitation, and—more importantly—to bring an end to such exploitation in Scotland. I welcome the work of the minister and the Scottish Government, but more needs to be done to ensure that we rid society of this crime and that perpetrators are dealt with in the most appropriate manner. I welcome the committee’s report.