Child sex exploitation must be stamped out, demand councillors

A call for Tower Hamlets Council to back Barnardo’s campaign to protect children from sexual exploitation was made by councillors.

Labour members who backed the campaign at their last meeting urged the council to make sure children suffering sexual exploitation get specialist help.

The campaign calls on local authorities to set up monitoring systems to check for youngsters at risk and have a strategy for dealing with exploitation.

Cllr Bill Turner, Labour’s Spokesman for Children, said: “Sexual exploitation of children cannot be allowed to continue.

“We must do everything to make sure youngsters are protected. The measures Barnardo’s is calling for would be further protection to stamp out child sexual exploitation.”

Two out of three local authorities have signed up to the campaign—but Tower Hamlets, which has the highest rates of child poverty in Britain, is not among them, councillors heard.

Unicef has warned that child poverty increases the risk of sexual exploitation.