Current understanding of the sexual exploitation of boys and young men in the UK. Dr Caoline Paskell NatCen Social Research BASPCAN Congress Edinburgh 2015

1. Gendered perceptions or gender blindness?
Current understanding of the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men in the UK
Dr Caroline Paskell, NatCen Social Research
BASPCAN
14 April 2015

2. • Authorship and acknowledgements
2
The full study was a partnership between NatCen Social Research, University
College London and Barnardo’s.
NatCen did the qualitative research presented here.
The study was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, an endowed charitable trust
that aims to improve social wellbeing in the widest sense. It funds research and
innovation in education and social policy and also works to build capacity in
education, science and social science research. More information is available at
www.nuffieldfoundation.org
The study was supported by a project advisory group including representatives
from statutory and third-sector organisations and national government from all
four UK nations, who povided invaluable advice, feedback and contacts.

3. 3
Overview of full study

4. Large-scale comparative analysis of male and female
CSE service users
Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/16144_su_cse_rapid_evidence_report_v5.pdf
helen.brayley@ucl.ac.uk

5. Large-scale comparative analysis of male and female
CSE service users
Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/16136_not_just_a_girl_thing_v6.pdf
e.cockbain@ucl.ac.uk

6. Gendered perceptions: What professionals say about the
sexual exploitation of boys and young men in the UK
Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/16145_cse_interview_with_professionals_v5.pdf
caroline.paskell@natcen.ac.uk

7. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Summary of all findings
Similarities
twn genders
Risk factors
Perpetration
processes
Complexity
of CSE
Diversity and
range - models
of exploitation
Differences
twn genders
Societal
perceptions of
risk
Disclosure
Support

8. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Objectives of qual element
Researching what is known about male victim CSE
Different data sources address different research objectives
Interviews with professionals:
▼ ▼ ▼
Identify perpetration
and victimisation
processes apparent in
male-victim CSE cases
known to professionals
Explore existing service
provision for boys and
young men at risk of, or
experiencing CSE
Suggest ways in which
policy and practice
may be able to identify
and appropriately
respond to male
victims of CSE, as well
as those at risk

9. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Service type and geographical
coverage of qual interviewees
Type of
service
London,
SE
Mid
lands
S
West
N
West
York
Shire,
NE
Wales Scot
land
N
Ireland
Online Total
CSE
specialist
3 6 2 2 3 2 2 1 0 21
Statutory 0 1 0 3 0 0 3 2 1 10
Other vol
sector
4 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 10
Total 7 9 2 6 3 2 7 4 1 41

10. 10
Key findings from qualitative
interviews
 Extent of CSE of boys and young men in the UK remains
unknown
 Professionals feel processes involved in young men
being targeted and groomed by perpetrators differs from
young women
 But professionals feel that risk factors and indicators are
similar
 Professionals feel that adults perceive indicators
differently for boys and young men
 Professionals perceive boys and young men as facing
different barriers to disclosing their experiences of
exploitation
 Professionals perceive boys and young men as having
specific support needs, predominantly related to
constructions of masculinity

11. 11
Processes involved in
exploitation
Trusted friend
Exploring same-sex relationships
Female perpetrators
‘Street and party’ scenes
Online exploitation
Commercial sexual exploitation

12. 12
Damaged, abused, tend
to be abused, previously
abused. Basically they
are chosen because they
are kids that nobody is
going to believe.
Service Manager, CSE service
Risk factors and indicators
Parents, typically kind of by the
nature of how we socialise
people, they’re not reporting
boys missing the same way
they would be reporting their
daughters missing. So there is
a lot more leeway before
anyone would realise a boy
was being exploited.
Service Manager, CSE service

13. 13
His self-harming pattern was to pick
up a fight he knew he couldn't win so
he'd get beaten up to a pulp, and
then he would have that release and
that he would feel better, he could
cope better because he just couldn't
handle the emotional pain.
Service Manager, CSE Service

14. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Victimisation processes
‘Trusted’ friend
Risk to
GBTC
young
men
Commercial CSE
Female
offenders

15. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
‘Trusted’ friend
• Use existing social network or ‘shared
interests’ to gain trust
– Gaming, football, DVDs
– Provide place to stay, alcohol and so on
OR
– Group/gang based (sense of belonging)
– Edges of legality (counterfeit cigarettes, drugs etc.)
• Present as heterosexual
– Encourage sexual activity (heterosexual adult
pornography for example)

16. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
The last thing they are thinking is that the
guy – certainly if it is heterosexual
pornography as well – the last thing they will
do is think they are going to abuse them. So
it is a very clever ploy
(Young men’s worker, CSE service).

17. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Females as perpetrators
• Rarely perceived as exploitative
– By victims, professionals or society
– Enduring gender stereotypes: women cannot be
abusers; young men are ‘lucky’ if they have sexual
contact with older women
• Particularly hidden issue, examples of:
– Older women in ‘relationships’ with young boys and
men
– Women exchanging drugs, money, place to stay etc,
for sexual contact
– Damaging and confusing for victim, especially due
to lack of recognition

18. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
We’ve got to change that attitude. That’s a
young boy. Now the young boy this is
happening to, he has had a horrendous life,
so he is just looking at that as his girlfriend.
Somebody in this world that now loves him,
because he has never had that. Is she
exploiting him? Well, yeah. So what is that
doing to that young boy’s mind?
(CSE specialist police)

19. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Risk to GBT and C young men
• Context of enduring homophobia
– Few ‘safe spaces’ or means to explore relationships
(literal and metaphorical)
• Isolation (particularly stigmatised among certain
groups or circumstances such as rural areas)
• Unlikely to discuss with friends/family
• Internet contact
• Contact may begin as ‘trusted’ friend
– Specifically exploring potential sexual relationship
– Exploitative in nature

20. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
If you remove the abuse, then the young person has the
opportunity to find out what their true sexuality is.
And you can't confuse the two.
You can't say somebody's gay because they're in a
sexually exploitative relationship. Remove the sexual
exploitation, then that gives them the freedom to make a
decision for themselves what sexuality they are.
(Specialist CSE worker)

21. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Appropriately identifying and responding to
boys and young men
In the context of long standing gendered
perceptions, practices and social attitudes

22. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Gender specific barriers to
identification
Social
attitudes
GBT phobia
• ‘Must be gay’
Stereotypes
• Cannot happen
to men
• Men are
perpetrators
CSE education
Males lack
representation
• ‘female centric’
• Reinforces
stereotypes
• Lack of
knowledge
about what to
do/where to go
Communication
Assume males will
not disclose
• Confusion over
self identification
• Stigma
• Not encouraged
to share emotion/
experience

23. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
A common thought amongst the public
generally, thought amongst boys and young
men [is that] to be abused […it] might say
something about you and your masculinity
as a boy, as a man – that you […] haven’t
protected yourself, that somebody has had
power over you. So to admit that, what’s that
going to say to others? – you lose face
(Service manager, CSE service).

24. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
What’s really difficult is we see a ‘victim’, but
if the other professionals around see them
as the perpetrator, it is what they’ve done
wrong, whether they’re aggressive, they’ve
been rude in school, they’ve assaulted a
peer, there’s criminal activity – there’s all
those negative kind of perpetrator labels
[associated with boys]
(Service manager, CSE service).

25. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
The instinct to protect boys is not there
because they should protect themselves. It’s
almost that that we’re fighting against
(Service manager, CSE service).

26. Understanding the sexual exploitation
of boys and young men
Perceived gender specific support needs
Sexual identity Support for all young men around healthy sex and
relationships regardless of sexual orientation but
ensuring all sexual orientations are included
Expressions of
masculinity
Support to understand the different ways in which
masculinity can be represented
Healthy male role models
Psychological needs Support to acknowledge the exploitation and find a way
to communicate or conceptualise it Understanding of the
different methods of self-harm used by young men and
expressions of anger
Criminal involvement Understanding of criminality as a response to trauma

27. 27
Models of service provision for boys
Gender-
specific
provision
♂-only spaces,
peer support
Activity-based
engagement
Individualised
approaches
Challenging
stereotypes
Gender-
neutral spaces

28. 28
He's not going to acknowledge that stuff
verbally with us. So we have been a bit
more flexible… [photography] was a way
for him to communicate without him
having to say it…boys seem to get so
much more frustrated [than girls] quickly
because conversations move at such a
pace sometimes that they can't actually
catch up and talk about how they feel.
Boys & Young Men’s Worker, CSE
Service
Communication with boys
It’s this perception really that boys
don’t talk about things…that they deal
with their emotions differently…Boys
do and will engage and will talk about
things and can become quite
emotionally intelligent, if given the
opportunity. It's almost as if there's an
assumption that boys don’t and they
can't and they won't, so they don’t offer
it in the first place.
Service Manager, CSE Service

29. 29
Next steps
 Review how gender may obscure identification of CSE
 Review how female perpetration can be better identified
 Review how gender may influence vulnerability to CSE, as well
as individuals’ responses and support needs
 Raise awareness – significant geographical variation
 Areas for further research:
 young men’s understandings and definitions of CSE,
 evaluation of approaches to service provision with boys,
 gendered understandings of vulnerability/risk and resilience,
 analysis of monitoring / administrative data to assess ‘1 in 3’ stat.

30. If you want more information or would like to contact us
Dr Caroline Paskell
Research Director, Crime & Justice
T. 020 7549 8534
E. caroline.paskell@natcen.ac.uk
Visit us online: natcen.ac.uk
All reports: http://www.natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/understanding-the-
sexual-exploitation-of-boys-and-young-men-in-the-uk/
Summary: http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/530798/16134-su-cse-young-boys-
summary-report-v3.pdf
Thank you