Dear Prime Minister,

                               I am writing to you in regards to the increasing demographic issues concerning criminal exploitation of children. Children as young as 7 years old and some with additional vulnerable  needs are being targeted by criminal gangs to traffic drugs across the united kingdom and their county borders. The victims are further coerced into conflicting violent crimes associated with this. It is reported that at least 27,000 children in England alone have been identified as a member of county line gangs and the risk of children being exploited is increasing; with referrals of county line victims increasing by 35% the year 2019 to 2021. 

We identify that crime is being committed and law is being broken, however children of criminal exploitation need support rather than further trauma as a result of them being charged or convicted. Exploiting a child is abuse and this can often be forgotten when the focus shifts to the crime the child has committed with professionals labeling them perpetrators, despite the harm they have experienced.

We are therefore proposing that children who are forced into committing crime are seen as victims rather than perpetrators and a new approach is identified to rehabilitate the victims as an alternative to a charge, conviction or prison sentence. 

Research has consistently shown that time spent in prison does not successfully reform and it can actually expose children to further criminal activity. Therefore a new approach would enable a shared understanding and provide a multi agency response to this form of exploitation. It can lead to early interventions by professionals spotting the signs of grooming and exploitation, resulting in children being safeguarded and supported. It can provide children with better rehabilitation and increase opportunities and better outcomes. Furthermore it will shift a greater focus on disrupting the activity of those who groom children for criminal exploitation. 

The focus of this approach is to meet the needs of the children and address the behavior of the children who can not live safely in the community. This will require a multi agency approach of our caring professionals and local authorities to apply skilled and compassionate support to help children identify and understand the harm they have caused others, as well as the harm that has been done to them. It is an approach that will bring positive change early on by nurturing the children of our society with the correct guidance. 

We Hereby look forward to your response in addressing these matters.

Yours Sincerely, 

Reece McLaren & Mark Johnson

(Campaign Organisers)