Closing the Gap: Confronting the Problem of Hotels as Venues for Child Sexual Exploitation

Abstract

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a hidden and growing problem. Here, we consider the extent to which hotel environments present opportunities to sexually exploit children and young people; and the challenges which might be encountered in attempts to address this and disrupt offenders. There is a dearth of research on this topic and during the course of our discussion we reflect on data which emerged from a small‐scale, exploratory study in which we sought the views of hotel staff and professionals working in the safeguarding field. We conclude by examining the implications of our work for safeguarding policy and practice.

A Route to Safety: Using Bus Boarding Data to Identify Roles for Transport Providers within Contextual Safeguarding Systems

“…Young people have been sexually exploited in parks, shopping centres, fast food restaurants and hotels. Adults have frequented these places to groom and abuse young people, and used transport hubs and car services to meet and transport those they abuse (D'Arcy and Thomas, ; Hughes‐Jones and Roberts, ). This is in addition to peer‐on‐peer sexual abuse occurring between young people as they socialise in the public spaces (Beckett and others, ; Firmin, ).…”