Young girls using Facebook to 'advertise' to older gang members

As gang prevention programmes target children at risk of involvement, police warn that girls are particularly vulnerable

Girls as young as 13 are posting explicit photographs on Facebook to "advertise" themselves to older gang members, police say.

The children, who are often already involved on the periphery of street gangs, are putting up highly sexualised pictures, apparently in an attempt to gain status.

Detective Chief Inspector Petrina Cribb, who leads a gang prevention programme for the Metropolitan police, said: "Some of the things you see on Facebook are just horrendous – very young girls posting pictures of themselves with very little on. We are talking about really, really inappropriate images of very young girls."

There is growing concern at the sexual exploitation of girls by street gangs. Last week the government announced £1.2m of funding to help girls involved with gangs who are raped or abused, with the equalities minister, Lynne Featherstone, describing the violence young women face as shocking.      Read More