Children in the Shadows Revisited
Children in the Shadows Revisited is our new six week course for churches and individuals, focusing on child exploitation in the UK and beyond.
At the heart of Children in the Shadows Revisited are six short films, each exploring a different aspect of child exploitation.
Each session includes:
- definitions, statistics and insight from frontline experts (both written and on film)
- examples of good practice
- a reflection on Luke 18 by Bishop Alastair Redfern
- group discussion questions
- a prayer
- action points
Why Children in the Shadows?
The original Children in the Shadows Lent course was released in 2022, when we were still living in the aftermath of the Covid Pandemic and lockdown periods. Since then, schools and communities have opened up, but many families have been crippled by the cost of living and vulnerabilities have increased.
This has combined with further fragmentation in our communities and an increased hostility towards refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Against this backdrop, criminal gangs have become increasingly sophisticated, and many children have got drawn into a dark online and offline world which organised crime has sought to capitalise on.
Children in the Shadows Revisited aims to understand the current landscape and explore how churches and communities can unite to nurture children and protect them from harm.
Frontline insight
We are thankful to
- Imogen Spencer Chapman, the Head of Training & Practice Development at ECPAT UK and 'Amira', a member of ECPAT’s lived-experience Youth Advisory Group
- Holly Jones, University of Nottingham Rights Lab Doctoral Research Fellow and frontline practitioner
- international law enforcement advisor and modern slavery trainer, Tony Dunkerley
- county lines educators, Sabrina Hewitt and Careena Thompson
- county lines educator, Leo Powell
- Ruth Dearnley, the founder of Stop the Traffik
for sharing their wisdom and expertise. To watch the films, please go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheClewerInitiative/playlists
Children in the Shadows Revisited - the full course
Download the resource with material for six weeks!
Download Week 1
Exploring the different forms of child exploitation and the scale of the issue in the UK.
Download Week 2
Shining a light on the suffering and isolation faced by the children of modern slavery victims and how they require specialised care and support.
Download Week 3
Looking at the growth in online grooming and how it can lead seamlessly into physical trafficking.
Download Week 4
Focusing on county lines in 2026 and how parents can respond.
Download Week 5
Exploring some of the adverse childhood experiences that make children particularly vulnerable to county lines gangs.
Download Week 6
Providing a global perspective on children and modern slavery and how technology is helping to thwart global criminal networks.
The trailer for Children in the Shadows Revisited
This is the sixth Lent course written and produced by The Clewer Initiative and we hope many churches and communities will use it throughout the season of Lent to understand more deeply and reflect on the urgent need to protect children in our communities from exploitation.
