What is CSE Aware?
CSE Aware is an initiative of the Women’s Support Project, developed alongside other agencies and the Encompass Network, which aims to ensure that women affected by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in Scotland receive comprehensive, non-judgmental support. The work is funded by the Scottish Government through the Delivering Equally Safe Fund, a national fund aimed at preventing and eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls.
CSE Aware Publishes New Accessible Booklet
In May 2025, CSE Aware published an Easy to Read booklet and an accompanying video resource. This booklet aims to inform people who want to find out more about commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), the power dynamics involved, and avenues of support.
What was the Challenge?
CSE includes a wide range of sexual activities which involve selling or exchanging sex for money, goods and even affection. CSE is a form of abuse that objectifies and harms women and girls. Given the complex nature of CSE, many women could be unaware that they are experiencing CSE.
CSE Aware decided to gather the input directly from workers in the VAWG and learning disability sectors to gain their insight into marginalised groups, specifically women with learning disabilities and their experiences of CSE. They found that men often manipulate women with learning disabilities into becoming involved in selling sex or sexual activities by promising affection, companionship, gifts, money, or travel, among other things. CSE Aware learned from support workers that there was no accessible resource explaining what CSE is, how one may experience it, and what the support avenues are. As a result, women with learning disabilities often do not have access to information about this form of abuse and how to get support.
The Easy Read resources were designed so both frontline services and women who may be affected by CSE can raise awareness of the issue. They can also be useful for anybody that is new to the topic or for women who do not use English as their first language.
The booklet outlines CSE, its related activities, dynamics, and risks, while highlighting women’s rights by stressing the importance of consent and challenging the stigmatisation of women experiencing CSE. CSE Aware collaborated with the SCLD to produce this resource, along with People First and the Central Advocacy Group. The latter two organisations facilitated workshops with women with learning disabilities to provide feedback on the resource's accessibility.
Learning
Central to learning was discovering that working with lived experience groups provides a well-established space where people with lived experience feel safe to disclose information, allowing them to offer valuable outputs. This work also highlighted the importance of working in partnership with organisation to effectively include marginalised communities in the development of resources. This offered a valuable skillset that can be used in creating “Easy Read” resources in the future.
Feedback
The booklet was launched on two occasions. The first was targeted towards the Scottish Government, service managers, and those involved in the sector. Following this launch, it was published for the general public. Since, the resource has continued to be promoted in newsletters, blogs and websites. Many have reported the booklet is ‘eye-opening’, and are shocked and surprised at the prevalence of women with learning disabilities being subject to this form of abuse. Frontline practitioners shared that the resource is extremely useful for informing women of the dangers of CSE and is an effective tool for raising awareness of a form of coercion that can be subtle in nature.