CHILDREN are being forced into crime and slavery in Sussex.

Grim figures from the National Crime Agency reveal the number of youngsters known to be experiencing labour and sexual exploitation in the county.

Sussex Police found 32 children being exploited in 2018.

Six girls and one boy were exploited sexually.

And four girls and 18 boys were exploited for their labour.

Children make up 75 per cent of victims of modern slavery in Sussex.

City councillor Emma Daniel, who helped set up an initiative to tackle the problem in Brighton and Hove, said: “These criminal gangs tend to target children in the care system, that’s how cruel they are. Children are a business to them. They are a commodity, they’re not considered human.”

Last year, The Argus reported how criminals were enlisting children to sell drugs in a city centre park. Dealers from London were targeting younger and younger teenagers at The Level in Brighton.

It is a lucrative business for criminals called “county lines”.

The gangs, usually from London, use children and other vulnerable people in areas such as Brighton, threatening, grooming or tricking them into trafficking drugs for them.

The children use dedicated mobile phones – or “lines” – to sell the drugs.

Cllr Daniel said: “Primarily, these gangs use the children for drugs, but sexual violence can be a part of it. They will give children drugs or gifts to start off with. Then they will say ‘you owe me money’ and make the children work off the debt. Sometimes, they will put them on a train and say don’t come back until you’ve made the money.”

In Brighton and Hove, the council and police are working together to target the criminals and protect the victims of child exploitation.

Cllr Daniel said normally there is no “instant happy ending” for those who have been affected as they may still feel frightened or blackmailed.

She is calling for people to look for warning signs and contact local authorities if they suspect abuse.