Grooming gangs utilizing vapes to lure youngsters as they provide e-cigarettes for intercourse
Gangs are utilizing vapes to lure youngsters for intercourse, a Tory MP has warned.
Peter Gibson claimed youngsters are being exploited “as mules to fetch and carry the illegal products” and “as agents by selling the vapes to their friends”. The Darlington MP described the case of an adolescent in his constituency who was “groomed for sex using the enticement of illegal vapes”.
He instructed the Mirror: “It isn’t just about a child having a puff of a vape in a similar way to a kid smoking a cigarette behind the bike sheds. There is real exploitation of young people going on.”
St Giles Trust, a charity that works to cease youngsters getting concerned in gangs, mentioned it’s alert to how vapes are “increasingly being used nationally as a tool to groom children and young people”.
Evan Jones, Director of Criminal Exploitation Development on the charity, mentioned the cost-of residing disaster is “continuing to make children and young people more at risk of exploitation”. He warned that spending cuts have made a dent in help providers that would in any other case be doing extra to assist.
Crimestoppers has launched a marketing campaign to deal with “vape-related exploitation”, the place e-cigarettes are used to “attract, groom and exploit” minors.
Greater Manchester Police has additionally raised considerations about the issue of vapes being supplied as a part of little one sexual exploitation in Rochdale. Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Round mentioned they’ll act as a “gateway” to abuse that may lead youngsters “into selling drugs or performing sexual favours”.
Labour Shadow Public Health Minister Preet Gill mentioned: “It is deeply concerning that vapes are being used to exploit children. The Conservatives’ failure to crack down on the marketing of vapes to children has allowed them to become the latest school fad fashion accessory, with kids becoming hooked on nicotine as a result.
“Labour will introduce tough new laws to stop gangs exploiting children, come down like a ton of bricks on the vaping industry, and ban the marketing and advertising of vapes to under-18s.”
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, said: “It is deeply concerning to hear more and more accounts of illegal vapes being used to groom and exploit children. As Children’s Commissioner, I want all children to grow up healthy and well, which is why I have previously called for disposable vapes to be banned, to protect children and prevent them from becoming exploited and addicted.”
In a Westminster Hall debate on the issue of unlawful vapes known as by Mr Gibson, Public Health Minister Dame Andrea Leadsom mentioned: “I’m on the warpath with regards to youngsters vaping. Whether it’s nicotine-free, cherry-cola flavoured, authorized or unlawful, youngsters shouldn’t be vaping.”
She added: “Like so many parents right across the country, we are all incredibly worried about the damage that is potentially being done to children’s bodies by vapes—particularly illegal vapes. One of the main health risks posed by vapes is from their highly addictive nicotine content. Young brains are more susceptible to the effects of nicotine, and so the risk of becoming addicted is greater for younger people compared to adults.”
A Home Office spokesman mentioned: “We do not tolerate the sale of illegal products and Border Force is stopping them crossing our borders by detecting and seizing harmful goods, such as illegal or counterfeit vapes. The Police are also acting to dismantle the criminal gangs that attempt to smuggle them in and promote their sale.
“This government is fully committed to tackling the heinous perpetrators who exploit and groom vulnerable children as part of their criminal activities and they must face the full force of the law.”
