The Educator Magazine U.K. May-August issue - Magazine - Page 51
What schools can do
One of the most powerful tools against
sexual extortion is raising young
people’s awareness of the dangers.
NCA-commissioned research showed
that ‘74% of boys questioned did not
fully understand what sextortion was,
the same proportion didn't see requests
for nude images as a warning sign or an
attempt at 'sextortion', 73% were not
aware of how to report incidents and
only 12% admitted they may be at risk
of 'sextortion'’.
It’s hugely important for schools to
create a positive culture of safeguarding
by talking openly and honestly about
online relationships and the potential
harms of sharing images. Be aware that
some of those receiving online safety
education may have already
experienced harm. All concerns must
be taken seriously, and staff must be
familiar and consistent in managing
and responding to disclosures to avoid
victim blaming.
Remember, when a child or young
person has shared an image - they have
been groomed or manipulated into
doing so. Victims often feel it’s their
own fault, and they are responsible
for the situation they find themselves in.
Offenders are well versed in making
them feel they are guilty, in order to
dissuade them from seeking help, keep
them isolated and illicit more from
them. The persistent threat of exposure
can leave young people struggling with
mental health issues, including
anxiety, stress, difficulty sleeping and
even thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
It's important that staff know how
to respond when a child or young
person reports this type of abuse.
All disclosures should be addressed in
a sensitive and non-judgemental way
- as with any other type of child sexual
abuse. They should never be made to
feel responsible or complicit. It’s
important to reassure them that they
are not to blame for what has happened
and that help and support is available.
Language is crucial in avoiding
victim-blaming and retraumatising
the child or young person. Unhelpful
statements such as: You should have
told me what was going on. You put
yourself at risk by going
on those apps.
Don’t you remember
our online safety
discussion? Why did
you take that photo
anyway? places the
responsibility back on
the victim, reinforcing
what they have been
told by the perpetrator.
If the young person
does not feel
heard they are less
likely to have the confidence to report
abuse in the future. Victim blaming
attitudes and narratives can also
prevent families, friends and the wider
society from recognising the abuse.
Schools should also be mindful of the
terminology used in their safeguarding
policies and practice, and discussion
with children. Whilst the term
‘sextortion’ is often used colloquially
and in the media, the recently
updated Terminology Guidelines by
ECPAT, recommends practitioners
avoid using this in favour of ‘sexual
extortion of children’, as it does not
clearly describe that it is a matter of
sexual exploitation against a child,
and risks trivialising a practice that
can produce extremely serious
consequences.
The key concern for young people who
have been sexually extorted, is whether
the images can be taken down. Report
Remove is a free, online confidential
tool enabling them to report an image
or video shared online, to see if it’s
possible to get it taken down. Provided
by Childline and IWF, it keeps the young
person informed at each stage of their
report, and provides further support
where necessary.
Parents and carers can also play a
pivotal role in protecting their children
from sexual extortion. Having regular
conversations about their child’s online
life - what apps they’re using now, who
they’re chatting with etc, provides
opportunities for discussions about
online abuse, increasing awareness
and understanding. They can also spot
changes in their child’s behaviour -
signs of anxiety or withdrawal, or
unwillingness to interact with friends,
which may indicate that something is
wrong.
The recent campaign by the NCA, to
highlight the dangers of sextortion,
issued the following advice to parents
and carers:
• Do not pay the perpetrator there
is no guarantee that this will
stop the threats
• Stop all communication and
block them on all platforms to
prevent further manipulation or
harassment
• Avoid deleting anything that
could be used as evidence such
as messages, images, telephone
numbers, and bank account
details
• Report to the police or to CEOP.
Call 101 or 999 if there is an
immediate risk of harm to the
child. Use the CEOP Safety
Centre to report any online
blackmail attempts.
International cooperation has resulted
in the arrests of members of organised
crime gangs involved in sexual
exploitation, but online threats
continue. Raising awareness and
equipping our young people with the
knowledge, understanding and skills
to identify potential harms online will
help keep them safe in our increasingly
digital world.
LGfL deliver free training for schools
via Online Sexual Abuse and Harms
training.
For further support and resources,
please visit LGfL https://lgfl.net/
Safeguarding/saferesources
