County Lines
County Lines is the movement of illegal drugs from one location to another, often over county or local authority borders. The ‘County Line’ refers to the phone line used to take orders of drugs. Organised criminal gangs will often groom or coerce children and vulnerable adults into storing or transporting the drugs and money, to distance themselves from criminal activity.
Risks of involvement in county lines include financial and sexual exploitation, criminalisation, physical violence, trafficking, and misuse of alcohol and drugs.
#LikesToLines
County Lines is a growing threat, with gangs using social media to target, groom and exploit vulnerable children as young as 11. Yet research by Unseen shows that 1 in 3 UK adults don’t know what county lines are. Therefore, on Monday 18th March, Child Exploitation Awareness Day, Unseen is launching the #LikesToLines campaign, an initiative designed to equip parents, professionals, and anyone who works with children with the knowledge and tools to identify and protect children at risk.
For more information, visit: www.unseenuk.org