London’s Children Exploited, Groomed, Failed, and Killed: Will Anything Change?

A recent documentary highlighted the heartbreaking plight of two mothers who lost their children to a broken society. The mothers of Daejaun Campbell and Kelyan Bokassa were failed by the system. Before fingers are pointed at the failures of these mothers, it must be said clearly that both they and their sons were victims, victims of circumstances that ultimately ended in the deaths of two boys aged just 14 and 15.

Every day across London, thousands of young boys and girls are being failed by a system that is supposed to protect them. Children are being groomed and exploited by gangs and county lines networks, drawn into criminal activity and turned into drug runners at an age when they should be in school, safe at home, or being supported to build a future.

County lines is a form of criminal exploitation in which organised drug networks expand into other areas using dedicated mobile phone lines. These gangs often recruit and coerce children and vulnerable people to move and store drugs, money and weapons. Children may be manipulated into the activity even if it appears consensual, because they are made to feel they have no other choice. Victims are most commonly aged 14 to 17, but younger primary school–age children have also been targeted. County lines gangs rely on coercion, intimidation and violence as part of their recruitment and control of young people.

It is estimated that tens of thousands of children across England are caught up in criminal exploitation, with around 4,000 teenagers being criminally exploited in London alone. Overall, around 46,000 children in England are thought to be involved with criminal groups such as county lines, though the true total is likely much higher because many cases go unrecorded.

Many children grow up watching their parents struggle to keep a roof over their heads. They see stress, exhaustion and financial pressure, and then they see what looks like an easy way out. Quick cash, money, status and a sense of belonging offered by gangs. Children who are already vulnerable are easily exploited, manipulated and controlled.

The plight of both Daejaun and Kelyan’s mothers should be a lesson for London. A lesson that demands action, not blame. A lesson that should force us to confront a system that repeatedly allows children to slip through the cracks while warning signs are missed, ignored or passed between agencies.

Kelyan Bokassa suffered 27 wounds inflicted by two machetes. He died on a bus aged just 14 years old, calling for his mum. Daejaun’s mother had repeatedly begged for information about what was happening in her son’s life. She emailed social services again and again, asking for help and answers, only to receive a response the day after her son had been murdered.

Early intervention is vital. For both of these children, intervention came too late. They were failed.

There are children living on London estates who are effectively surviving adult responsibilities while still in their early teens. Some are paying bills or contributing financially as their families struggle to cope with the rising cost of living. These realities create the perfect conditions for exploitation by organised criminal groups who know exactly how to target children who feel pressure, fear or responsibility beyond their years.

The question now is whether the deaths of Daejaun and Kelyan will make a difference. Will anyone truly start to make the changes that are desperately needed, or will these deaths become just another statistic?

It is essential that their deaths do not be in vain. These were children. Misled, vulnerable and exploited. Lessons must be learned, and they must be acted on. County lines and child criminal exploitation are widely recognised as serious threats to young people, involving violence, coercion and the manipulation of vulnerable children into dangerous criminal activity.

Community-wide approaches to tackling child exploitation must be strengthened, not just discussed. Schools, social services, police, youth services and local communities must work together, and crucially, listen to the voices of parents who raise concerns before it is too late.

We must work with these mothers now. We must listen to them, learn from them, and ensure that other families are not left living with the same unbearable loss.

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