Child exploitation: Primary school kids learning about dangers

Children as young as eight have been learning about the dangers of child exploitation by criminal gangs in Northern Ireland. A charity in Northern Ireland said one example is young people "being forced and coerced into rioting" like the disorder which broke out in Ballymena, County Antrim last summer. Following arrests 33 young people were referred to social services, according to the PSNI. Chloe Higginson from Invisible Traffick has been delivering a programme to young people aged 8 to 12 at the Ballykeel Youth Resource Centre in the town. She said: "Organised crime gangs are exploiting their vulnerability and preying on the kids that are most vulnerable." Jax, nine, said he had learned a lot from the programme. He said it "would help quite a lot of kids, especially the younger ones" if someone approached them playing games online. "If you're on a game and someone says 'come do this at a certain place at a certain time'... and if it doesn't feel right, tell an adult straight away." Alex, 10, who attends the Ballykeel Youth Resource Centre, said he had learned "how to tell if someone is putting you through human trafficking and to use your voice and tell a trusted adult". Ella, who