Tuesday December 13, 2022
By Osob Elmi
Abdi Hassan Hajin is the imam at Tawfiq Mosque and said he feared for the safety of children whose families could not afford to keep up with the latest trends
Parents have raised concerns about the risk of child exploitation as a result of the cost of living crisis.
A safeguarding event in Bristol heard children felt they were under pressure to keep up with the latest technology
Those who did not were at risk of being lured into crime to attain those items.
A father from the Somali community said it was a "constant worry" how he could save a child from a life of crime when he was financially unable to afford the things they wanted.
Abdi Hassan Hajin, who has seven children, told the event at Wellspring Settlement that drugs was not an issue when he came to the UK almost 20 years ago.
He said: "We are trying to get an idea of how we can all work together to tackle this challenge we are facing now and to make Barton and Bristol a safer place to live in.
"As a father, it's a constant worry.
"How can I save a child, who is financially unable to do what he wants to, not be dragged into things where someone offers them something without their understanding."
He welcomed the safeguarding event as a "stepping stone" towards addressing the issue.
The meeting was a collaboration between Bristol City Council, Bristol Drugs Project, Avon and Somerset Police and the local education services.
Mushtaq Hussein from Bristol City Council's public health and community sector, specialises in social justice cohesion and violence prevention and said representation was key to success.
"We have a lot of parents concerned about the cost of living challenges and the pressures that young children face whether it's keeping up with the new phones, trainers etc.
"They feel there is a risk of young people joining criminal activities or being exploited to keep up with the pressures of societies.
"This is all about practical ideas and ways that they can safeguard their children.
"Understanding what child exploitation looks like, what happens if your 12-year-old child comes home with a new pair of sneakers and the parents haven't contributed towards that, and how to have those conversations is what we are discussing."
Black Somalis are the largest growing minority ethnic community in Bristol, the council said.
But language barriers were highlighted as one of the main problems for them accessing services so the event was delivered in English and Somali.
The meeting heard prevention was the key to keeping children safe and the best way of achieving that lay in collaboration between all of the assembled groups and organisations.
For example Avon and Somerset Police said it had been working in partnership with The St Giles Trust since 2021 to support and divert young people in Bristol away from drugs.
The trust is a social justice charity that supports young people who may be involved in or are likely to become involved in drugs, county lines and other criminality, by providing them with specially trained mentors who have lived experience of the situations children find themselves in.
The police force said it recognised the multiple issues faced by young children and wanted to share information about spotting and reporting child exploitation.
A spokesperson said:"The focus of the team was to provide vulnerable children with a means to ensure their voices are amplified and heard; they are safeguarded and protected from harm; crimes against them are investigated to a high standard and they are given access to the criminal justice system."
A second event is planned following Christmas for parents who were unable to attend the first session.