Criminals target young people with offers of drugs in exchange for sex

According to the study, children are being approached with offers of drugs in exchange for taking part in criminal activities. Stock Picture.

Criminals are targeting young people with offers of drugs in return for sex, according to a new study on criminal exploitation of children.

The study, based on interviews with 24 young people in four discussion groups, also found that there is a distrust of An Garda Síochána and of school authorities among teenagers in the areas were they lived, making it difficult for them to seek help from authorities. 

Participants were from locations identified based on recorded crime and Youth Diversion referral data, and the study was conducted by researchers from the University of Limerick and Queen’s University in Belfast.

It has been published just months after the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024 was signed into law in May. Under the legislation, it is illegal for an adult to attempt to convince a person under the age of 18 to engage in criminal activity whether by force, deception or manipulation. Those found guilty of the new offences can face imprisonment of up to 12 months on summary conviction and up to five years on indictment.

The study, which was published in the journal, Crime Prevention And Community Safety, interviewed the participants in four different groups. 

According to the study, one group outlined that young people are “being approached by strangers and invited to sell drugs for cash or have sex for drugs, and as discussed above, all four groups described violence as a constant risk for simply being out and about”.

Participants also noted that practices used to place young people on the “front lines of the drug trade” including the sale of drugs, the recruitment of “runners” through social media, and being asked to “carry, hide, or deliver items, including drugs, going to the shops, and keeping an eye out for the guards”.

The “pull factors” cited by participants for young people to become involved in criminal activities included money, an adrenaline rush, and status. 

The study also outlined: “Focus groups also described young people undertaking illegal activities for safety.” 

It added: “Two focus groups explained that rejecting invitations to deal drugs can be met with threats of violence. 

Participants believed that once a young person has set a precedent of compliance, however small, it is then impossible to refuse. 

Distrust of gardaí was cited by those involved in the focus groups, with the study noting: “The young people in this study regarded An Garda Síochána as both a potential threat and an ineffectual service.” 

It added: “As well as that, many participants did not participate in mainstream education, and many felt unsafe there.”