Greg* is a student. He and Jenny Pearce recently shared the stage at a conference run by BLAST in a joint presentation about boys and young men affected by CSE. In this post he shares his reflections on the value of that experience.
“I was very excited at the opportunity to co-present with Jenny at the BLAST conference. Speaking about my own experience of exploitation was not easy, and I was nervous about doing it in front of an audience.”
Greg*, student presenterSpeaking out
Greg describes the experience of sharing a stage with a professional researcher as both frightening and affirming. Speaking publicly about exploitation meant revisiting his own account of being let down by professionals at a time when he needed support, and he was clear that the process left him feeling angry and proud at the same time.
For Greg, presenting alongside Jenny Pearce was significant. Rather than young people being spoken about by adults, the format put his own voice and his own words in front of the room, with a member of the International Centre alongside him.
What professionals need to do better
The central message of the post is a call for professionals to listen. Greg's account is of being let down during his exploitation, and his reflections point to gaps in how safeguarding practice responds to boys and young men who disclose harm.
- Professionals need to listen to young people's accounts of exploitation and act on what they hear.
- Services and responses must take account of boys and young men affected by CSE, not only girls.
- Young people need the space and support to speak publicly about their experiences if they choose to.
Read Greg’s story
The account of exploitation discussed in this post is published by BLAST as a real-life story.
More on participation
Articles from the Young Researchers’ Advisory Panel and other youth-led work on the International Centre blog.
The International Centre
The Centre researches child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking at the University of Bedfordshire.