Child sex trafficking in UK on the rise with even younger victims targeted

The trafficking of British children around UK cities for sexual exploitation is on the increase with some as young as 10 being groomed by predatory abusers, a report reveals today.

The average age of victims of such abuse has fallen from 15 to about 13 in five years, according to the report by Barnardo’s, the UK’s biggest children’s charity.

But victims continue to be missed as telltale signs are overlooked from the frontline of children’s services to the corridors of Whitehall, said Anne Marie Carrie, the charity’s new chief executive — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Increasing number of scams to rob Queensland’s flood victims

Police have warned of an increasing number of scams to rob Queensland’s flood victims as the federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said the economic cost of the disaster will be the highest in Australia’s history.

The scams include tricking victims into giving their bank details to people claiming they will help them obtain emergency funds.

Scammers claiming to be tradesmen are also going into affected areas offering to repair the damage and demanding payment in advance before disappearing — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Library clears its shelves in protest at closure threat

The library at Stony Stratford, on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, looks like the aftermath of a crime, its shell-shocked staff presiding over an expanse of emptied shelves. Only a few days ago they held 16,000 volumes.

Now, after a campaign on Facebook, there are none. Every library user was urged to pick their full entitlement of 15 books, take them away and keep them for a week. The idea was to empty the shelves by closing time on Saturday: in fact with 24 hours to go, the last sad bundle of self-help and practical mechanics books was stamped out. Robert Gifford, chair of Stony Stratford town council, planned to collect his books when he got home from work in London, but left it too late — via redwolf.newsvine.com