THE chairman of Barnsley’s safeguarding children’s board has backed calls for the public to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to adults who develop inappropriate relationships with children.
Bob Dyson, the board’s independent chairman, has spoken out to mark National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day today, which aims to highlight issues around child sexual exploitation, encourage everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse, and adopt a zero tolerance approach to adults who develop inappropriate relationships with children.
“Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation Ð it is a priority for the board and its partners,” said Mr Dyson.
“In Barnsley we have not experienced the gang-related, organised child sexual exploitation we have seen reported in other parts of the country including Rochdale, Oxfordshire and Rotherham. We do, however, know there are a small number of children in Barnsley that are subject to child sexual exploitation. This is most likely to take the form of an inappropriate relationship where an adult forms a sexual relationship with a child much younger than themselves.”
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