Youth Crime and Youth Justice: County Line Child Exploitation

This report focuses on county line child exploitation in the context of youth crime and youth justice. It discusses the various forms of exploitation, such as drug trafficking and sexual abuse, and the impact on children and vulnerable adults. The report also highlights the laws and guidelines in place to protect and safeguard children from such exploitation.

Youth crime and youth justice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Youth crime and youth justice: county line child exploitation...................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Youth crime is also known as Juvenile delinquency. It means participation of illegal
behaviour by minors. Youth justice means providing justice to minors under the legal system of
United Kingdom. In England and Wales, it means to convict, prosecute and punish people under
the age of 18 for crime committed by them. The main objective of youth justice is to make sure
that offending and exploitation is been prevented by young adults and children. Present report
will lay emphasis on county line child exploitation.
MAIN BODY
Youth crime and youth justice: county line child exploitation
Child criminal exploitation situation mainly appears in county line. In this situation an
individual or group of people who are in power take advantage of young adults and children.
They can manipulate and deceive child under the age of 18 (Harding, 2020). The victim may be
exploited criminally even when the activity appears to be consensual. Various criminal
incidences can happen with childlike there are cases filed related to children at the age of five are
forced to sell drugs on county lines. Evidence suggests that around 46000 children in England
are assumed to be engaged in gangs. 90% of the English police has witnessed county lines
activities in areas where they work and violence is being increasing day by day. About 4000
children are been exploited in London alone. Children are being forced to engaged in criminal
activities and to keep secrets from their loved ones.
County lines is one of the major issues that includes sexual exploitation, violence, gangs,
criminal, children trafficking, modern slavery. The UK government has also described county
lines. They make use of these terms to describe crime related networks and gangs. In this
activities like exporting of illegal drugs is been done by making use of mobile phone network.
The drugs are being transferred to other countries too. The county lines activities include
exploiting of children and vulnerable children so that they can store and sell drugs. These
activities and the violence related to drugs has severe impact on young people, children and
vulnerable adults.
Child criminal exploitation is most common in county lines. In this the individual or group
take advantages of those who are below 18 years. The exploitation may not include any type of
physical contact. It can also be done by making use of technology. This can affect lives of
children and young people just like any other type of abuse. It can affect any child who is below
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the age of 18 years. In this exploitation is been accompanied by violence. It is formulated by
power imbalance in favour of those who are perpetrating the exploitation. The age is most
obvious factor in power imbalance but there can also be various other factors such as gender,
living condition, status, ability, physical power. One of the most common cases which are been
found in county line exploitation is making use of some firm of exchange. Like for example
selling drugs and taking something else. Here the victim is being given whatever they want like
clothes, money or drugs. The rewards can also be in form of intangible assets such as affection,
friendship and attention.
The children are most vulnerable to county line exploitations. It has been analysed that the
young children in age of 12 are been exploited and asked to sell drugs in their community area.
All types of genders are exploited. Most targeted ones are British children as it seems that they
are abler to evade detection by police. On the other hand, it is not necessary only British is
exploited. A person with any ethnicity and culture can be exploited. There have been widespread
cases of county lines exploitation. Many areas such as London, Liverpool, England, Manchester
and Wales are being affected because of this. The gangs are engaged in targeting only vulnerable
adults.
There are various factors which can increase up a child’s vulnerability. It includes going
through experiences related to physical sexual abuse previously. A lack of stable home, domestic
violence, substance abuse, mental health disorders can also make child vulnerable. Cases of
social isolation and difficulties, being disables, learning difficulty, homelessness are the factors
because of which child can become vulnerable (Moyle, 2019).
Perpetrators make use of drugs and alcohol so that they can take young people into gang
lifestyle activities. It can make young people face drug related debts and then in future they have
to repay these debts with the help of county lines activities. This is being referred as debt
bondage. There is also strong connection of physical violence with county lines activities such as
knife and gun crime. The rivalry gangs can also come into dispute and conflict and this can lead
to severe injury and death of children who has been snapped in wrong place. There can also be
high range of physical violence and this fear can prevent children in leaving gangs or taking help
from police.
County line children exploitation in England and Wales can also include sexual abuse and
exploitation. Here it is being analysed that gangs are been engaged in sexually abusing children
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who can be of any gender. They can be forced to be included in sexual activities through
financial influences. There are also cases being registered for young people being trafficked. In
this they are been transferred to some other places for long time, where they have to live with
gangs. They are also being sexually abused. In most of the case situation child may die because
of this. There are also cases of cuckooing which is been filed. In this situation the county lines
gangs take upon the place of vulnerable adults and make use of power so that they can be
engaged in drug deals. They also exploit children by making use of them. It has been analysed
that children at really young age are been exploited. The exploitation makes their lives severely
affected. This makes the young people more vulnerable.
There are various legislations and guidelines published across whole United Kingdom where
they have core responsibility of protecting and safeguarding children. Various laws are being
made related to same. The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for child protection in
England. The most common drugs which are been supplied in county lines is heroin and cocaine.
The data from 2018 has identified that the victim aged are mostly between 11-16. The people
from this age group is been targeted most. It has also been analysed that the most of the people
who are made part of this process are vulnerable adults.
There are also various ways of recruiting these people. They are being included in county
lines activities through direct face to face conversation and even by making use of social media.
They make use of social media to identify and recruit new vulnerable adults. There are various
threats which are also been given to victim so that they can be included in these type of
activities. In this threats like kidnapping and serious violence is being included. The methods of
sexual abuse are mainly used against female. Criminal exploitation is being done by making use
of various methods and techniques.
The county lines activities include exploiting of children and vulnerable children so that they
can store and sell drugs. It has also been analysed that the serious crime is been noted by NPCC
in which the gangs are been engaged in transporting the drugs into one or more importing areas.
These type of activities are also being done by making use of mobile phone. The dealers are
normally being engaged in targeting vulnerable adults. There are various signs for which people
can look for like an increase in number of visitors outside the home of vulnerable adults. There
may be chances of new faces appearing at the house or flat.
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There is various enforcement of laws in which the people who are been engaged in making
children do such type of activities are liable. They can be held in prison and also can be sued.
These wider issues are being tackled by United Kingdom government. There are so many
children who are been involved and forced in these type of activities. These are affecting their
lives severely and also they become vulnerable after this situation. This can also lead to increase
in anti-social behaviour of children who are living in community (Spicer, Moyle and Coomber,
2019). The government also needs to make better policies so that they can lower down these type
of cases and children are not being exploited. It has also been analysed that there are multiple
ways through children and young adults are exploited. The gangs make use of telephones to
contact vulnerable adults. In this they give them rewards or threats and force them to be engaged
in such type of activities. This has made young adults more vulnerable and because of this they
live in miserable conditions. There mental health and well-being is also been affected because of
this. It has also been analysed that gangs convinced young people that there are no ways for
controlling them. They give threat to their families and also they can exploit children sexually.
This can make their lives vulnerable and also because of this they might also not feel like living
(Robinson, McLean and Densley, 2019).
There are also acts of serious violence which has been witnessed in county lines children
exploitation. These are making their lives vulnerable and also because of this the children are
living their lives under fear. There mental health and well-being is been affected and lives are
becoming miserable. This is making them feel low and also they are severely affected by crime.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it has been summarised that There are various factors which can
increase up a child’s vulnerability. It includes going through experiences related to physical
sexual abuse previously. The county lines activities include exploiting of children and vulnerable
children so that they can store and sell drugs. Children are being forced to engaged in criminal
activities and to keep secrets from their loved ones. County lines is one of the major issues that
includes sexual exploitation, violence, gangs, criminal, children trafficking, modern slavery. It
has also been analysed that the county lines affect hugely the lives of children.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Robinson, G., McLean, R. and Densley, J., 2019. Working county lines: child criminal
exploitation and illicit drug dealing in Glasgow and Merseyside. International Journal of
Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 63(5), pp.694-711.
Moyle, L., 2019. Situating vulnerability and exploitation in street-level drug markets:
Cuckooing, commuting, and the “County Lines” drug supply model. Journal of Drug
Issues, 49(4), pp.739-755.
Harding, S., 2020. County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing Amongst Urban Street Gangs.
Policy Press.
Robinson, G., 2020. Gangs, county lines and child criminal exploitation: a case study of
Merseyside (Doctoral dissertation, Edge Hill University).
Spicer, J., Moyle, L. and Coomber, R., 2019. The variable and evolving nature of ‘cuckooing’as
a form of criminal exploitation in street level drug markets. Trends in Organized Crime,
pp.1-23.
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