A LECTURER today told a major child trafficking conference in Blackburn of her concerns about the early sexualisation of children.

Susan Skipper, who specialises in Law Justice and Community Studies at the University Centre at Blackburn College, said society had created an ‘innate desire for people to have sex with children’.

The aim of the conference was to raise awareness of child sex trafficking. Nick McPartlan, manager of Blackburn’s Engage team, which investigates child grooming, spoke alongside Karen Sizeland from child trafficking campaigning charity EXPAT.

Trix Marais, from Child Welfare South Africa, where the college has links, also addressed the audience.

Mrs Skipper and colleague Sandra Nichol heard about the issues through a local soroptomist conference and were motivated to arrange the conference to help educate fellow professionals in the area.

Mrs Skipper told delegates society had encourage underage sex which she said created a ‘demand’ locally for child prostitutes.

She said: “I argue that our society produces an innate desire for people to have sex with children. There is an early sexualisation of children. Youth is highly valued. Exercise and surgery for example to prevent the inevitable aging process.

“Women in our country are more empowered which seems to be alienating some masculinity in our society.

“There’s a minority of people, mainly men, who resent women’s empowerment and status and sexualisation is the valuable nature of youth.

“Undeniably there’s a demand locally for child prostitutes but people here don’t have the spending power as tourists who travel abroad for child sex.”

She said in other countries children were seen as ‘safer sex options’.

Mrs Skipper added: “Poverty, general discrimination, natural disasters, national instability, culture, HIV/AIDS, and corruptible law enforcement are factors which make child sex trafficking happen. On a local level trends are the same, we have the same problems here.”

The conference was organised to bring together different organisations who work to prevent child exploitation.

Lecturer Sandra Nichol, who helped organise the event, said: “We wanted to raise awareness about child sex trafficking and looking at it from an international, national and local level.

“We want people to discuss this issue and look at ways forward.”