Facebook predators are not the biggest threat to our children
A career as a journalist and then a police press officer and voluntary work as a school governor, gives Morgan PR founder, Nigel Morgan an insight into the reality behind the grim headlines about sexual predators and paedophiles stalking the social networking websites.
While they certainly do, the reality is our children are at risk from predators far closer to home who do not always hide behind a bogus identity on Facebook or Bebo and lurid headlines about stranger danger can distract parents and carers from the real risks to children. We invited Safeguarding Consultant John Terry, of Berkshire-based Argon Associates, who trains people and organisations in basic child protection awareness, to explore the reality in a guest blog post here on Morgan PR.
Child protection and the dangers of social media are in the headlines following the recent case of Peter Chapman. Although aged 33, Chapman created a Facebook profile that showed a rather attractive teenage boy. He used this to groom and then kidnap, rape and murder 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall. People like Chapman or Ian Huntley (responsible for the Soham murders eight years ago) are extreme cases that often lead to reviews of procedures. Yet such predators are not representative of the biggest threat to children.
Such cases inevitably lead to calls for full disclosure of the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders but we know from the USA that full disclosure, or Megan’s Law, has driven about a third of sex offenders underground. The Home Office's new Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, or Sarah’s Law as it is popularly known, is an interesting step forward. It will allow parents to request disclosure about a person who has regular unsupervised access to their children. The pilot studies show this has been relatively successful but this will not stop the abuse of children any more than demanding safeguards on social media. We need to remember some basic facts
Most child abuse goes unreported so most abusers do not have convictions. Although there has been a rise in child protection referrals since the Baby Peter case, it is likely that only between 5% and 10% of abuse is ever reported and sex abuse is the least reported of all. Relying on schemes like MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) and the new Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme is therefore not sufficient to ensure the safety of all children, particularly from neglect.
Over 90% of child abuse is committed by someone the child knows and trusts – a family member, a family friend, sometimes other children, and sometimes those who work with children.
Abuse can impair children's physical and psychological health, their education and their life-chances; it is not something that they grow out of.
Abuse can happen in any section of society, rich or poor, in any religious or ethnic group, and perpetrators can be male or female.
So what can we do? Well, first and foremost, we all need to be alert to the possibility of abuse. That does not mean suspecting everyone, but watching out for the signs and symptoms of abuse that enable us to address this before it gets entrenched.
Secondly, organisations that work with children need to have high standards when it comes to recruiting staff or have people volunteer with them. In my experience, many already do – from schools and early years settings, to voluntary organisations such as the Scouts. If in any doubt, parents could ask to see their safeguarding or child protection policy and code of conduct for staff.
Third, we have to teach children about these issues. It is a fundamental right of the child to be safe – and we should make sure children know this. The internet is an area of concern, but the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP – the national police force for internet abuse) produces really excellent materials (e.g. Think U Know) for teaching children how to be safe on line and training people how to deliver it – and it's all free!
Fourth, we need to make people more aware of the realities of child abuse; you can do this through accessing materials from excellent sites like the NSPCC, Stop It Now or Childline, or by attending or commissioning training.
Finally – we can all be champions for children – if you have any concerns, seek advice from your local authority or the NSPCC's 24 hour help line: 0808 800 5000