Street gangs and coercive control: The gendered exploitation of young women and girls in county lines

What is it about?

This article considers the experiences of girls and young women who have been criminally exploited and involved in county lines. It uses pre-existing frameworks relating to domestic abuse, namely coercive control to understand the behavior and reactions of young women and girls in these situations. Practitioners and policy makers need to understand the gendered nature of these experiences and exploitation

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Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Young women and girls are hidden from statutory and legal services which means that their experiences of trauma are lost or at best misunderstood. They are seldom identified by authorities which means young women and girls are better able to cross county lines undetected. This assists gangs to make profits. when they are identified they are often blamed eg identified as promiscuous rather than see as victims of criminal and sexual abuse.