A child sex ring, also referred to as a pedophile ring, pedophile network, pedophile cell, paedophile gang, grooming gang (in British English), and child abuse ring, is a group of adults who are simultaneously involved sexually with multiple minors during the same general time frame. The dynamics of these rings differ from those of more common one-on-one intrafamilial cases in that they are more organized and run over a long period of time. Commercialization and group sex are not necessarily present.
Prevalence In 1989, a study indicated 31 child sex rings identified by police within a geographically separated population of 710,000 during two years in UK. In the two years, they accounted for 4.6% of all reported child sexual abuse. Forty-seven male offenders aged 16 to 82 years and 334 victims aged 4 to 15 were involved. The offenders usually operated in pairs or alone. Three of the rings were becoming semicommercial. Some children acted as victim recruiters for the offenders in 22 rings. The recruiters usually receive the money. The reported abuse included masturbation and fondling in 30 rings, oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse in 21 rings, as well as production of child pornography in 2 rings.
Offenders and mode of operation Child sex rings operate like pipelines. New members are regularly recruited, seduced, abused, and later 'dumped'. They often involve educational or recreational organizations where they can be recruited and seduced. The seduction often involves acts of kindness and giving gifts to the victims to lower their inhibitions and to gain their cooperation and trust. One of the factors that facilitates the recruitment of children is peer pressure from observing the behavior of other children participating in the ring. The offenders tend to be from a higher socio-economic background, as running a child sex ring requires high interpersonal skills and economic resources. It often means a financial loss for the offenders.
Notable cases Case Country Victims Aylesbury child sex abuse ring UK 2 girls Banbury child sex abuse ring UK 7 underaged girls Berkhamsted paedophile network UK 7 girls aged from 13 to 15 Bolivian Mennonite gas-facilitated rapes Bolivia at least 151, in particular women and girls Bristol child sex abuse ring UK underaged girls Casa Pia child sexual abuse scandal Portugal 100 boys Sidney Cooke's "Dirty Dozen" UK up to 20 boys Derby child sex abuse ring UK 26 girls from 12 to 18 UN child sexual abuse scandal in Haiti Haiti 9 children Halifax child sex abuse ring UK underaged girls Huddersfield grooming gang UK 18 girls from 11 to 17 Jersey child abuse investigation UK underaged boys and girls Keighley child sex abuse ring UK underaged girls Kidwelly sex cult UK underaged girls Kincora Boys' Home UK underaged boys Manchester child sex abuse ring UK girls from 12 to 15 Norwich sexual abuse ring UK 2 boys and 3 girls under 13 Oulu child sexual exploitation scandal Finland girls under 15 Oxford child sex abuse ring UK underaged girls 2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial UK underaged girls Quedlinburg child sex abuse ring Germany 2 underaged girls Rochdale child sex abuse ring UK 47 underaged girls Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal UK 1,400 girls Telford child sexual exploitation scandal UK up to 1,000 girls North Wales child abuse scandal UK underaged boys and girls
Public perception and reaction
Speaking after the James Machin case in 2010, Det Insp Simon Snell expressed his opinion about the paedophile ring in Cornwall as follow: "They are despicable, horrible, nasty individuals who preyed on vulnerable young children."
See also List of pedophile advocacy organizations Marc Dutroux Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
References
External links
Paedophile ring, Cambridge Dictionary