Child strippers, could they exist today?

 Crimes in respect of child stripping were largely committed by women. The nature of crimes that were committed by women were diverse. Some women resorted to theft when they were desperate yet others made a career out of it. Child stripping was a well recognised phenomenon in Victorian England. This crime involved the theft of children’s clothes not from homes or shops but from children themselves. Unlike the twenty first century when children are rarely left out of an adult’s sight, in the nineteenth century it was common for children as young as three years old to be allowed out to go to pay a bill or run an errand alone. Any occasion that saw a child outside of the sight of adult supervision was an opportunity for a child stripper to strike. A woman would approach a single child or two and lure them away into a dark street or deserted alleyway. This could be accomplished by the promise of sweets or money or by the woman saying that she was a friend of their parents.

Out of the sight of prying eyes the woman would convince or coerce the child into stripping down to minimal clothing before she would make her getaway with whatever the child would relinquish. Boots, shawls and coats were easy to pawn but some child strippers took dresses, hats and any jewellery the child might have. The child was left confused, distressed and often scantily clad and having to find their own way home. By the time the child reached assistance the offender was long gone and coupled with the fact that young children did not make the most optimal witnesses, the thieves could frequently avoid prosecution. By the time children reached the age of ten years they were usually too wise to be lured in this way and could not be coerced into removing their clothes. The ease with which the crime could take place meant that the perpetrators were often young themselves, barely out of childhood or adolescence. In the press they were often regarded as older women but this was generally a caricature of the reality. Young girls could sometimes be persuaded to conduct child stripping crimes with the promise of sweets or a little money. The older women were more organised and their activities more extensive. Women were uniquely placed to conduct child stripping crimes because of social expectations about femininity. It was also easier for them to dispose of the proceeds. A pawnbroker would be unsurprised if a woman wished to sell a child’s set of clothes or bonnet.

Is there a twenty first century equivalent of child stripping? What are our social and cultural expectations that allow such crimes to flourish? Can we stop them?

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