What is exploitation?
Exploitation is the abuse of a person’s vulnerability, power imbalance, or trust for another person’s gain. This gain may be financial, emotional, sexual, criminal, or practical, and often involves coercion, manipulation, grooming, or control. Exploitation can occur even if the person appears to consent, particularly where capacity, fear, dependency, or pressure are factors.
Sexual exploitation – being pressured, coerced, or manipulated into sexual activity for another’s benefit.
Criminal exploitation – being forced or coerced into criminal activity (e.g. drug dealing, theft).
Financial or material exploitation – misuse or theft of money, benefits, property, or possessions.
Modern Slavery – human trafficking and / or slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
Labour exploitation – forced or unpaid work, often under threat or with no real choice.
Domestic servitude – being forced to provide domestic work under controlling conditions.
County lines exploitation – coercion into transporting or selling drugs, often involving movement between areas.
Online exploitation – grooming, coercion, or manipulation via the internet or social media.
Organ or tissue exploitation – coercion or deception to remove organs or tissue.
You may be more vulnerable to exploitation if you have experienced trauma, social isolation, mental health difficulties, substance misuse, or housing instability. Loneliness and a lack of supportive relationships can make it easier for others to manipulate, control, or exploit you.
You may also be at increased risk if you have a learning disability, dementia, an acquired brain injury, or other needs that affect your ability to understand information, make decisions, or recognise when someone is taking advantage of you.
Older adults, people experiencing poverty, and those living in unstable housing situations are often targeted for financial abuse, scams, or housing-related exploitation. If you use drugs or alcohol, you may also be vulnerable to exploitation by individuals or groups seeking to control, coerce, or profit from you.
Cuckooing, sometimes referred to as home takeover, is when friends or people unknown to you take over your home without your consent.
You may notice that your money, phone or personal belongings go missing. People who have entered your home may try to stop you from seeing your family, friends and other people you trust. You may be prevented from leaving the home alone and begin to feel isolated.
You may feel scared of what people will do to you if you ask them to leave or call for help. People you do not know may seem to have free access to your home and use it for illegal activity, including encouraging or coercing you to take or sell drugs.
Other signs of cuckooing can include:
Cuckooing is an offence and sends a clear message that home takeover is exploitation and abuse, and that people affected should be protected and supported.
Set clear boundaries, seek support and be cautious with personal information.
Community awareness, family and neighbours can help safeguard by noticing changes in appearance, self-neglect, visitors and isolation.
If you are worried about exploitation support is available. You do not have to deal with it alone, and help can be sought whether you are concerned about yourself or someone else.
Please call 999 immediately if you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm.
If the situation is not an emergency but you are concerned about an adult who may be experiencing abuse, neglect or exploitation, you can contact:
Adult Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (Adult MASH)
Telephone: 01902 551199
Additional Resources:
