Children as young as ten are being sexually exploited by organised gangs of men in cities across the UK, says the charity Barnardo’s.

It is pressing for a specific minister to be given formal responsibility to implement a national plan to tackle the issue.

Anne Marie Carrie, the new chief executive of the charity, used her first day in office to call for urgent action to protect the thousands of youngsters who are being preyed upon, groomed and then abused, raped and exploited for sex.

The charity, which runs 22 specialist services across the UK including in Bradford, worked with more than 1,000 sexually-exploited children and young people last year. The real tragedy is that this is likely to be the tip of the iceberg.

Bradford is a trailblazer for good practice in dealing with child sexual exploitation. Sixteen years ago, the charity started working with sexually-exploited children and young people in the city and went on to set up a national network of services.

The Bradford-based project Streets and Lanes was the charity’s first such service across the country. Now called Turnaround, it has had 92 referrals since April last year. The previous year saw 81 referrals.

“The problem is growing,” says Kay Kelly, children’s service manager with Turnaround. “The average age is 13, but we have worked with children as young as ten.

“Often these young people don’t realise they are being abused. Often they are craving love and affection, and are then groomed by adults who only want to abuse and exploit them.”

Kay stresses that while numbers are higher, awareness of the issue is also increasing, as is awareness of the help available. She also points out that while this is an issue for Bradford, it is a national problem, and other cities have similar numbers of referrals.

“We have a really good relationship with our partner agencies – the police, schools, colleges, and Bradford Council.”

The Bradford team work hard to raise awareness. “We go into schools and carry out group work and whole-year work on abusive relationships so children are better-placed to identify their own abuse. The feedback we have had indicates that it is working.”

She adds: “Some vulnerable young people are entrenched in such relationships. They are so mistrustful – they have been let down by people who they believed loved them and would protect them. We are working with them.”

Barnardo’s also provides training for other agencies around risk indicators.

Sexual exploitation of young people takes different forms. It ranges from them being given accommodation in return for sexual activities, through to being exploited through more ‘formal’ exploitation.

It is often hard for these children to accept that they are being exploited, but they are always coerced in some way into such a lifestyle by others.

It is, for example, common for a girl to think that the man who controls every aspect of her life is her boyfriend, and she will remain loyal to him even when he coerces her into having sex with others and in some cases resorts to violence to ensure compliance.

Similarly, boys abused through prostitution rarely see themselves as victims of abusive sexual behaviour.

Ralph Berry, Bradford Council’s executive member for children’s services, backs the charity’s call for action. “At a time of major cutbacks across all services, it’s important that this is seen as a priority. It is an issue that moves across local, regional, national and international boundaries.

“We are very keyed-in to tackling this in Bradford, and it is vital that a ministerial lead is put in place. We are working very hard to address these issues. We cannot be complacent about it.”

Following a court case in Nottingham, former Home Secretary Jack Straw last week sparked a backlash after claiming that there is a “specific problem” within the Pakistani community involving men targeting vulnerable young white girls.

Rashid Awan, president of the Pakistan Society of West Yorkshire, believes the appointment of a minister to deal with the whole issue would be “a step in the right direction”. He believes that rather than “playing the blame game”, it should be addressed with proactive work to protect youngsters.

“We should focus on those who are easy targets and provide them with the assurance that someone is there to help them.

“It is the right time to implement a plan that focuses upon children and young people. The issue has been highlighted in the press, and may be the tip of the iceberg.”

Chief Superintendent Alison Rose, chairman of the Bradford District Safer Communities Partnership, says: “Child sexual exploitation is not an issue restricted to any particular community, and offenders can come from all walks of life, but where it occurs, it is an offence we investigate rigorously.

“Our investigations are conducted thoroughly and with the utmost care to ensure no stone is left unturned to both convict those responsible and work with the victims.

“Strong inter-agency work is vital, and Bradford benefits from strong partnership working to combat the issue.”

The Barnardo’s young person’s helpline is 0800 0855830 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).