New Barnardo’s report says boys missing out on help to escape sexual abuse

Boys who become the victims of sexual exploitation often miss out on help and support because they are reluctant to admit their abuse, new research from Barnardo’s Cymru has revealed.

The children’s charity says that while professionals are often skilled at spotting the symptoms of abuse among girls, sexual stereotyping means that boys can slip through the net.

Negative behaviour among boys tends to be taken at face value, while in girls it is more likely to be explored as a potential response to trauma.

Barnardo’s Cymru has called for more awareness raising and training for professionals working with high risk groups of boys and young men, and more information and awareness raising for the boys themselves.

Menna Thomas, Senior Policy Research Officer with Barnardo’s Cymru, is co-author of the report, ‘I Never Spoke About It’, said: “Our research found that, as with girls, boys who have negative experience of care and family life and those who become isolated from their peers are more vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

“However, for boys there are a number of additional barriers which prevent them from being identified and, more importantly, from being able to speak up about their abuse.

“For example, boys’ negative or criminal behaviour is often interpreted and responded to in a way which overlooks their status as victims of exploitation and abuse. There doesn’t seem to be sufficient awareness of the possibility of boys being vulnerable to sexual exploitation and therefore insufficient messaging to boys that they will be believed and offered suitable services.”

As the most vulnerable boys move into adolescence they are at greater risk of mental health problems, substance misuse, homelessness and offending behaviour. They are also more likely to be loners. All are factors which can increase the risk of sexual exploitation.

A high number of professionals questioned referred to boys who had run away from home or been forced to live on the streets and exchanged sex for a roof or food, “survival sex”.

The online world has provided more opportunities for predators to trick and groom vulnerable young people. There is a need for vulnerable gay, bisexual and questioning young men to be able to socialise and seek support in safety, particularly in deprived urban, Valleys and rural communities.

The research concludes that CSE is currently seen as affecting primarily girls and young women which is a barrier to identifying boys at risk of or experiencing CSE. Other barriers include:

• Boys’ routes into sexual exploitation are complicated and difficult to identify, as they are often closely aligned to criminal behaviour and/or substance misuse.
• It is not as widely accepted  that bBoys can be exploited by males, females and peers and are equally vulnerable to online grooming.
• There is evidence that sexual stereotypes often play a part in the interpretation of boys’ behaviour, with negative behaviour being taken at face value and not explored, or understood, as a potential response to trauma, as is more likely to be the case with girls.
• Heterosexual boys who have been exploited by males can experience confusion about their sexuality which induces guilt, fear and distress. This can represent a significant barrier to disclosure and seeking help.
• Some boys are keenly affected by sexual stereotypes, and require a practice approach which actively avoids further disempowerment

In addition to better training and awareness raising, Barnardo’s Cymru has called for a more gender balanced and inclusive approach to addressing CSE in services. It also wants to see improved healthy relationship education in schools where sexuality can be discussed openly and non-judgmentally and the development of more targeted practice approaches to address the needs of sexually exploited boys and young men.