Splintered Lives - Barnardo's

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chapter
5 involved with several victims, all of whom are aware of each other's participation',
(p111); but is close to that developed by NJ Wild (1989): 'repeated abuse of multiple
victims from more than one family... comprising an adult perpetrator (or perpetrators)
and several children who are simultaneously involved in sexual activity and aware of
each other's participation' (p553). Unlike Wild, however, we view what is necessary for a
ring is that either the children or the perpetrators are from different families. Children
do not have to witness, or even be aware of one another's abuse. The more individuals
are involved, and the more aware they are of each other's existence the more critical
control becomes, since each additional person (including customers) increases the
possibility of being exposed/discovered.
The Council of Europe's most recent definition of sexual exploitation is: "the sexual use
for economic purposes of a child or a young person, which violates, directly or
indirectly human dignity and sexual freedom and endangers his/her psycho-sexual
development" (Council of Europe, 1991, p15). The document then proceeds to specify
that this includes pornography, prostitution and trafficking, that a child is anyone under
the age of 16, and a young person someone aged between 16 and 21. Trafficking is
further defined as: "Any act or activity aimed at bringing a child or a young person into
prostitution or pornography or maintaining him/her there, possibly by transporting
him/her at national or international level, even with his/her consent or by means of
deception, threats, force or other influence" (p26).
If the issues raised in this section are taken seriously there are several difficulties with
this definition:
�� the limitation to 'economic purposes';
�� the age-based definitions of child and young person.
Further debate and exploration of definitions is urgently needed, since they are the
conceptual framework within which legislation, policy, data collection and research are
located. It is our view that attention needs to be given to this matter before other steps
are taken. What is needed are analytic definitions linked to both the UN declaration and
what we currently know about sexual exploitation, and less inclusive working
definitions which recognise that legal frameworks, and hence available national data do
not conform to the broader definition. Without this the disjunction between
international law and national practices will remain a barrier to practical progress.
Geert Cappelare (1995) provided a useful starting point for these debates, which we
have adapted here, to reflect the issues raised in this section. Figure One locates sexual
exploitation within the widespread violation of children's rights, and exploitation and
victimisation more broadly. Whilst the original model had at it's apex commercial
sexual abuse of children, we include a shaded area in the victimisation and exploitation
section to encompass other contexts in which children are sexually exploited.