Exploitation is 'absolutely a live issue' on the Island

Would you know how to spot if someone is being exploited?

Exploitation is 'absolutely a live issue on the Island' and people 'need to be very focussed on picking up the signs'. 

That's the message from the Independent Chair of the Island's Safeguarding Board, Lesley Walker, as the Island marks its second annual Safeguarding Week.

This year's theme is All Age Exploitation - aiming to highlight the harms young people and vulnerable adults face.

Exploitation includes sexual, criminal (including county lines), modern slavery and online exploitation.

But what is safeguarding - and what do the teams across the Island who work in this area do on a day-to-day basis to keep our most vulnerable people safe?

That's the question we'll be asking all this week in a series of reports from Siobhán Fletcher.

Let's start at the beginning, by finding out a little bit more about the Safeguarding Board itself:

As Lesley mentions in the above report, there are a range of warning signs that someone is being targeted.

In young people, these signs include:

• Receiving game currency and other gifts within games.
• Children who are travelling alone and look frightened and maybe have no tickets or money to pay for travel
• Children who look frightened in the company of other children or adults
• Children travelling alone at night
• A child or young person who allows others to speak for them when addressed directly
• Those under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Their physical appearance may show signs of injury, malnourishment and maybe unkempt
• They might seem unfamiliar with the local area, or not be local
• They could be receiving excessive texts or phone calls
• They have been given a mobile phone
• Are they deliberately avoiding authority figures such as police officers or railway staff?
• A young person that has access to drugs or alcohol but has no means to buy this?
• Going missing
• Involved in criminal activity

Children who are exploited usually do not recognise the coercive nature of the relationship or see themselves as a victim.

It is also not only children or young people that can be the victims of exploitation either criminally or sexually, but also vulnerable adults.

One issue services deal with is 'cuckooing' - a practice where people take over a person's home and use the property to facilitate exploitation. 

For example, a vulnerable adult's home could be taken over to sell drugs out of.

DROP-INS

This week, a number of events are taking place across the Island with contributions from the Wellbeing Partnerships, Housing, the Isle of Man Constabulary, Adult Safeguarding Team, Manx Care's Safeguarding Health Team and Children's Social Care, and the Department of Education, Sports and Culture.

Several public drop-in sessions are also being held for people to understand more fully exploitation present on the Island.

Sessions are running in the North (Ramsey), South (Port Erin), East (Douglas) and West (Jurby) at the respective Wellbeing Hubs.

At these events, community policing and social housing professionals will explain how to spot the signs of exploitation and will also explain the ongoing work of Fearless - which is Crimestoppers for young people aged between 11 and 16 years old.

The full timetable of this week's events is available here.

Manx Radio will be finding out more about safeguarding and all-age exploitation throughout this week, as we speak to professionals from the various services involved in the protection of our most vulnerable on the Island.

If you think you or someone you know is being exploited or is at risk of being exploited, contact the Isle of Man Constabulary on 01624 631212 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can hear more from Lesley in our latest newscast, available below or wherever you get your podcasts.