Rise in violence and sexual exploitation against children by County Lines gangs says Nottingham Uni research

New research from Nottingham Uni into the criminal exploitation of children has revealed an increase in self-harm and suicide attempts among young people and children admitted into hospital with clear to County Lines.

The report, from Nottingham Uni's Rights Lab, says health professionals are warning of young people being coerced by County Lines gangs through online exploitation and the harbouring of explicit photos.

Interviews with hospital A&E youth workers have revealed a rise in the incidence of violence, as well as shifts in the types of injuries and their severity.

One youth worker described some of the injuries they had seen: “Fingernails pulled off, hair pulled out, even the stabbings… whereas before Covid-19 you may have seen one or two injuries on a young person, now they will be repeatedly stabbed. So we're talking five, six times is kind of an average amount of stab wounds.”

Online grooming featured consistently among interviewees, particularly involving females who were being coerced into taking and sharing explicit images of themselves. While it was unclear whether this was linked to sexual or criminal exploitation, rising cases of self-harm in young females were attributed to this form of online activity.

As well as online grooming and harm, perpetration-induced trauma and the feeling of being trapped in their exploitation were increasingly reported by young people in A&E as a reason for their deteriorating mental health.

Dr Ben Brewster, Research Fellow in Modern Slavery Perpetration in the Rights Lab, is leading the research. He said: “These latest findings are extremely concerning – taken together with the fact that professionals’ ability to identify signs of exploitation and safeguard vulnerable young people are being hindered by Covid-19 restrictions, it is a very alarming picture.

“One area that has seen some positive outcomes, is the privacy afforded by visiting restrictions in hospitals has meant that some young people have felt safe enough to disclose the circumstances of their injuries and experiences of exploitation. This is something that should be borne in mind when setting future policy and practice guidance.”

• county lines
• Gang
• East Midlands