module specification

This module focuses on the sexual exploitation of children and young people in the UK and also looks at forms of sexual exploitation in the Global South. On this module, you will be introduced to debates about definitions, policies and legal frameworks as well as key feminist debates on the ethics and practice of researching sexual exploitation. You will learn about specific forms of sexual exploitation around the world including online harms, image based sexual abuse, early/forced marriage, transactional sex, peer on peer abuse and sex trafficking.

You will also learn about varied contexts for sexual exploitation such as the sexualisation of popular culture, religious values and institutions, local authority care, gang-association, and sex tourism. You will be offered an introductory session on what the research evidence tells us about abusers and coercers. You will be encouraged to think critically about effective disruption, protection and prevention especially in relation to the criminal justice system, child protection systems and new practice developments. Throughout the module you will be asked to attend to intersecting axes of power and how these might impact or shape the experiences and barriers for minoritised children, boys/young men, neuro-divergent children and children with a range of disabilities and working-class girls. Where the conversation is about the Global South, you will be asked to consider the specific impacts for minorities within those countries.

None.

Available for Study Abroad? NO

Definitions and framings [LO 1, 5 & 6]
The historical emergence of child sexual exploitation as a UK policy concern.
Government and other policy / practice definitions of child sexual exploitation and its relationship with a) child sexual abuse and b) adult sexual exploitation.
Divergent feminist perspectives on the sex industry and ways to tackle adult sexual exploitation as well as the links with pornography and the sexualisation of popular culture.

‘Continuums’ and ‘conducive contexts’ [LO 2, 3, 5 & 6]
Historical ‘models’ of sexual exploitation and specific forms including online harms, image based sexual abuse, trafficking, transactional sex, early/forced marriage, sugar daddies, devdasis, bacha bazi, and djinn / witchcraft abuse.
UK and international contexts including local authority care, technology facilitated abuse, religious institutions/networks, gangs & social networks, pornography industry, and sex tourism.

Researching Sexual Exploitation [LO 4 & 5]
Methodological approaches.
Creative and participatory research methods for engaging children and young people as partners in research.
Ethical issues for researching sexual exploitation and for research with children and young people.
Possibilities and limitations of the existing evidence base.

Policy and practice responses [LO 5,6,7]
International obligations: human rights obligations and national policy agendas.
Criminal justice and safeguarding frameworks.
Effective and specialised support services.
Innovative approaches including contextual safeguarding.

This module is delivered over 6 days, 10am-5pm, two days at a time, three times over the teaching semester. A structured programme of interactive lectures and expert guest lectures provides the framework for teaching and learning.  Small group seminars tied to online reading materials and recordings (available through the virtual learning environment) offer students the space to digest and reflect on key learning from the module. Two workshop spaces also give students an opportunity to understand the assessment requirements and gain feedback on their choice of topic. Students may obtain further guidance on plans for their annotated bibliographies and their essays through email contact and bookable 1-to-1 tutorials. To support students with disabilities, lecture slides and recordings are available in advance through the virtual learning environment and we work with the library to ensure that as much of the material is available as e-books or internet downloads as possible.

By the end of the module students will be able to:

1. Define child sexual exploitation and understand the range of perspectives on sexual exploitation and the sex industry.

2. Identify the various forms of sexual exploitation of children and young people.

3. Describe the contexts for sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse more generally.

4. Understand methodological and ethical issues for conducting research in this area.

5. Draw on the research evidence to evaluate different perspectives on sexual exploitation.

6. Apply an intersectional lens to draw out the specificities for minoritised and marginalised children and young people.

7. Learn about legal frameworks and approaches to prevention.

 All assessment details are available at the very start of the teaching on this module.

The first assessment is an annotated bibliography - students are required to assess three websites, three journal articles and three books/book chapters and summarise their content in 150-200 words per entry. This will assess learning outcomes 1, 2 & 3.

The second assessment is a 3,000-3,500 word reflective essay for which students will be provided with a list of titles on Day 3.  This essay will assess learning outcomes 1-7. If a student wishes to focus on an issue or debate not covered in the list, it may be possible to devise an alternative title but this must be agreed with the Module Leader and must be able to evidence the learning outcomes.

Students pass on aggregate.

Coursework 100% comprising an annotated bibliography and an essay.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/2A0A0C71-DDAE-7D9E-66EE-E0CEA278ABA5.html?lang=en

Journals:
Child Abuse and Neglect: the international journal, Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Child Abuse Review, Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Children and Society, Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
Hypatia: a feminist journal of philosophy, Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy, Brisbane, Australia: Crime and Justice Research Centre, School of Justice, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology.
The British Journal of Social Work, Oxford: Oxford Journals.
The Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Binghampton, NY: Haworth Press.
The Journal of Sexual Aggression, London: Brunner-Routledge.
Women’s Studies International Forum, Amsterdam, London: Elsevier.
Violence Against Women: an international and interdisciplinary journal, Thousand Oaks, London: Sage.

Websites:
Barnardos http://www.barnardos.org.uk
Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse http://www.csacentre.org.uk
Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit http://http://cwasu.org/
Child Exploitation and Online Protection http://www.ceop.police.uk/
Contextual Safeguarding Network https://contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/
ECPAT International http://www.ecpat.net
The International Centre: Researching Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking https://www.beds.ac.uk/ic
MSUNDERSTOOD http://www.msunderstood.org.uk/
MSUNDERSTOOD and IC short films for practitioners https://www.beds.ac.uk/ic/films
NSPCC http://www.nspcc.org.uk
National Working Group for sexually exploited children and young people http://www.nwgnetwork.org
Nordic Model Information Network http://www.catwa.org.au/the-nordic-model/
Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation (formerly known as the Coalition for the Removal of Pimping (CROP) http://www.paceuk.info
Prostitution Research http://www.prostitutionresearch.com
Space International (Survivors of Prostitution-Abuse Calling for Enlightenment) http://www.spaceinternational.ie
The Children’s Society https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

Electronic Databases:
Academic Search Complete
Care Knowledge
JSTOR
Lexis Library
Oxford Journals Archive
PsycARTICLES
PsycINFO
Sage journals online
Science Direct
Social Care Online
Web of Science
Zetoc