photo/interview opportunity, 11.05am, West Park Conference Centre, Dundee
Sex abusers follow common patterns of exploitative behaviour - whether they use the Internet to gain access to children or involve them in child prostitution.
A major Child Protection conference at the University of Dundee tomorrow will hear several key professionals share information on the latest research on the sexual exploitation of children. The event will highlight the fact that, regardless of the abusive situation in which they might be involved, abusers follow classic patterns of luring, seducing and keeping victims locked in.
Among the speakers will be a detective from New Scotland Yard's Paedophile Unit, DC Andy Murray, who will pass on information about how abusive adults who use Internet sites to engage inappropriately with children can be detected, tracked and arrested.
The 170 professionals will also hear a keynote address by Sara Swann, who received an MBE for her services to child welfare. Sara is at the leading edge of UK and European policy development work in the field of child sexual exploitation and developed a model for understanding that the reality of child prostitution is child abuse. Her "controlling boyfriend" and triangle model are being considered for the UK report to the UN on the Rights of the Child and she was instrumental in the publication of the Government's 2000 guidance report "Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution".
Merlyn Horton, a Youth Advocate from British Columbia in Canada who has pioneered the Safe Online Outreach Project, a programme to encourage the safe use on the Internet by children, will discuss her work. A number of key local professionals from Local Authority and Voluntary agencies will also provide workshops to demonstrate local initiatives to delegates.
Jim Ennis, Director of Studies at the University's Centre for Child Care and Protection Studies, which is hosting the conference on behalf of the Area Child Protection Committees of Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross, said, "While the rise of the Internet in recent years has given abusers a new medium through which to gain contact with children, it is only one aspect of a wider picture. Abusive adults who use the Internet in this way have been found to follow similar patterns of behaviour to those who sexually abuse and exploit children in other ways.
" Such patterns involve an abusive person's capacity to spot vulnerability - normally in a younger, emotionally deprived child; to use appropriate language; to focus attention; to get alongside and to blur boundaries so that victims don't know when they have crossed from 'friendship' into exchanges that could be misrepresented or misunderstood.
"By examining the many different situations in which children can be vulnerable, and focussing on the common patterns followed by abusive adults, we hope to give a clearer perspective on all aspects of child sexual exploitation."
For further information on "Multi-disciplinary Perspectives on the Sexual Exploitation of Children, with Particular Emphasis on Internet Activities" contact Jim Ennis on 01382 464240
By Jane Smernicki, Press officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk