The NWG team have written a series of articles to support National Child Exploitation Awareness day 2022 (#CEADay22) – 18th March. Today we hear from Sarah Brown NWG Trainer

Since last year’s Child Exploitation Awareness Day (March 18th) there has been a particular demand for NWG’s Mind Your Language: Victim Blaming and Exploitation webinar. I have been around the country, albeit online, meeting practitioners who have been open and willing to discuss the language we use and how this can negatively impact the children and families we work alongside.  

Unfortunately, we are still hearing children being referred to as “putting themselves at risk”, references made to their boyfriend or girlfriend who is actually an offender, families who are labelled as being “difficult to engage” and children being called a “drug dealer”.  One thing Mind Your Language talks about is the need for us to think not just about those more overt statements that blame a victim for their abuse and exploitation, the kind of statements that insinuate they have made a choice when the reality is there is no free choice to make, but for us to think about the connotations of language and how that those might leave someone feeling.  

One thing that is clear to me from all the areas and services that have asked for Mind Your Language is that there is a move for us to consider, in more depth than we ever have before, just how the language we use can affect our connection and support with those living through exploitation and that it may inadvertently blame a child or their family.  

We must stop victim-blaming. We must acknowledge that children and families affected by exploitation are in crisis, that they are traumatised, something we as practitioners need to recognise and respond to.  

If you would like to develop your knowledge and awareness around victim-blaming language and reflect on your interactions, including any case recordings I would love to see you on an upcoming Mind Your Language webinar (dates here; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nwg-exploitation-network-10661324498 ) or get in touch with me [email protected]