child exploitation awareness day 2025

The 18th March 2025 is national child exploitation awareness day, #CEA25. It is a day to highlight the issues surrounding child exploitation and encourage everyone to think, spot, and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to child exploitation.

CE Day is led by the NWG charity

CCE or CSE can happen to any child or young person. We encourage you to speak to children and young people you live or work with to discuss these topics, to educate them to recognise possible signs, how to access help and most importantly to listen to them about their experiences and offer support and guidance to access further support.

signs of child exploitation

• Travelling alone, particularly in school hours, late at night or frequently

• Looking lost or in unfamiliar surroundings

• Anxious, frightened, angry or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them

• In possession of more than one phone

• Carrying lots of cash

• Potentially under the influence of drugs or alcohol

• Being instructed or controlled by another individual

• Accompanied by individuals who are older than them

• Seen begging in a public space

• Unhealthy or inappropriate sexual behaviour

• Persistently going missing for periods of time or regularly returning home late

• Being secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going

• Excessive receipt of texts or phone calls, letters, or emails

• Suddenly acquiring expensive gifts such as mobile phones, jewellery, drugs – and not being able to explain how they came by them

• Having mood swings and changes in temperament

• Having hotel cards or keys to unknown places

• Wearing inappropriate clothing that is not age appropriate

• Significant changes in emotional well-being

• Sudden changes in lifestyle

• Increasingly disruptive or violent behaviour

• Getting into trouble with the police

• Bruises, marks on the body, bleeding in their genital or anal area, sexually-transmitted diseases, pregnancy

• Increased drug and alcohol abuse or self-harm

If you are concerned a child or young person is being exploited, please use the links further down to learn more about what to do.

To help raise awareness you can write a pledge on your hands and share it on social media with the #CEA25 hashtag.

Further reading and resources:

• #LookCloser To Spot Exploitation | The Children's Society

• Signs of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) –

• Child Sexual Exploitation & How to Keep Your Child Safe | NSPCC

• Criminal exploitation and gangs | NSPCC

• What You Need to Know About Child Trafficking | NSPCC

• Say Something If You See Something - STOP CE –