Broadening the Discussion on 'Sexual Exploitation': Ethnicity, Sexual Exploitation and Young People

• NCJ Number: 216544
• Journal: Child Abuse Review Volume: 15 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2006 Pages: 341-350
• Author(s): Jenni Ward; Nasima Patel
• Date Published: September 2006
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article argues for more attention to be paid to the circumstances of young people from minority ethnic backgrounds that have been sexually exploited and to raise questions which need to be addressed in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the many ways in which young people in the United Kingdom may come to experience or be at risk of sexual exploitation.

Abstract

Black and minority ethnic young people are not a homogenous group and some groups may be more likely to be at risk of sexual exploitation than others. It needs to be recognized that within certain systems of social organization, such as the family, the community may be dealing with youth problems they are unable to manage, and that young people are at risk of having their particular needs unmet. Critiques of the United Kingdom criticize its failure to recognize issues of power and conflict within minority ethnic communities and the reluctance to intervene within family and community. Sexual exploitation of young people in the United Kingdom has been the subject of increasing attention. However, discussion on sexual exploitation in the United Kingdom among women from different ethnic backgrounds has been minimal. This article argues for certain questions to be asked and addressed: (1) is there anything different in the way young people from minority ethnic backgrounds experience sexual exploitation; (2) are the routes to being sexually exploited significantly different for young people from different ethnic groups and what are they; and (3) are the policy responses in place to assist these young people sufficient to deal with the varied situations experienced? In this article, the experiences of a specialist project operating in a multi-ethnic borough of east London were examined. The project examined the lives of young women who were at risk of, or who were experiencing sexual exploitation. A number of the young women were from Bangladeshi backgrounds. References