Participation in Action: Wigan youth group makes DVD on sexual exploitation

The problem of sexual exploitation has grabbed the headlines over the past year with high-profile cases reaching the courts. Proceedings have shed light on the details of girls lured into dangerous situations, posing the serious question of how to identify and protect these young people before they come to harm.

In response, a youth group in Wigan has taken steps to help educate their peers about the dangers of exploitation and how to seek help. The Lowton Girls Group, which has produced a DVD encouraging girls to speak up if they feel they are in a risky situation, also delivers workshops and training. The group’s message is: “If you are ever in a situation where you feel at risk of sexual exploitation then speak up – no matter what you have been told, people will believe you.”

Twenty-year-old Georgina Hall, one of the older members of the group, says: “The young people we have worked with so far have been shocked at what we are telling them. They did not realise this sort of thing went on. But they said they trusted the information because it came from us, fellow young people.

“It made them think about how they might be at risk, the safety measures they can take and what they can do differently when they are online. By the end of our training, young people are asking us questions about how to stay safe on Facebook and how certain safety features work. This DVD now covers all of this and can be used in classrooms across the borough to demonstrate how they can stay safe.”

The group has been trained to deliver educational sessions with the help of Wigan Council youth workers and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, and has gained the backing of Greater Manchester Police, Wigan’s local safeguarding children board and Barnardo’s, which wants to see the DVD distributed nationally.

Facts and credibility
For their DVD, the girls worked with Peter Goodwin of Tradition Films to capture a mock newsroom setting in which they delivered expert opinions, facts and on-the-street interviews, all acted out by group members.

Youth worker Deb Hall says: “I could stand there and deliver workshops like this to young people, but there is the risk it could go over their heads. You get a group of young people to deliver the work and suddenly everyone sits up and listens. The girls have a lot more credibility with younger audiences and they have put so much work into this. They have given up so much of their own time.”

Wigan’s safeguarding children board has been grateful for the girls’ help in tackling such a complex issue. Kath Vereycken, chair of the board, says: “I have taken the DVD to meetings and everyone has been really impressed with it – and these are high-level professionals saying this, from the council, police and health services. We also want to back the girls getting this film into schools and delivering training alongside it.”