A report by The Children’s Society has found that children as young as seven are being exploited by county line gaps. The report found that the number of 10-17 year olds arrested for intent to supply drugs (a significant indicator of county lines trafficking) has gone by up 49% outside of London. The number of children being trafficked to sell drugs outside their home area almost doubled from 69 in 2015/16 to 132 in 2017/18. The Children’s Society says independent advocates could help all children referred to the National Referral Mechanism to get the support they need. It also wants to see all children treated as victims rather than criminals, child criminal exploitation to be defined in law and more funding for services to intervene early to help children. To read more, please visit the Children Society’s website.
