THOUSANDS of young people across Derby and Derbyshire are set to be educated about the dangers of child exploitation – in the wake of the Rotherham sex gang scandal.
The play, Chelsea's Choice, charts a young girl's journey into being exploited by an older man.
The performance will be touring the county from November 3 to December 5 and is being organised by the police and crime commissioner and child sexual exploitation charity Safe and Sound Derby.
The play has been toured all over the country and has resulted in children coming forward with allegations of sexual exploitation, which in one case ended in an arrest.
Sean McGrath, creative director at AlterEgo Creative Solutions, which is touring the piece, said: "Chelsea's Choice covers a wide range of subjects. We look at healthy relationships and safe internet usage but the over-arching message is about child exploitation."
The play tells the story of Chelsea who, after a fallout with friends and family, falls for an older man who has a car and a house.
Sean said: "He treats her like a princess but all is not how it seems and it soon becomes clear that he is grooming Chelsea."
After the play, the actors discuss the issues raised and there is a chance for the young people to also talk about their experiences.
Sean said: "When we were in Oxford, one of the children gave us information that ended up in a man being arrested. That shows how much this project can help."
Staff from Safe and Sound will be on hand to talk to any youngsters who have been af fected and provide support.
Nathalie Walters, chief executive of Safe & Sound Derby, said: "Raising young people's awareness of child sexual exploitation is key in helping to prevent them becoming victims.
"Chelsea's Choice does this in a really creative way; the play explores the different ways that young people can be drawn into abusive relationships and illustrates how this abuse can impact on them."
Deputy police and crime commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa said: "The issues covered are very sensitive ones and the theatre company is highly experienced in delivering these performances."
In Derby in 2010, a gang of nine men were jailed for between 18 months and 22 years for grooming vulnerable girls, some as young as 12.
At least 27 girls – one of whom was living with foster carers in Derby and two others in city children's homes – fell prey to the gang, who raped and assaulted them over two years.
The victims were targeted outside school gates and in the streets, with the men using drink and drugs to lure them in.
The case was the culmination of a covert investigation, dubbed Operation Retriever, which involved up to 100 police officers.
The ringleaders – Abid Mohammed Saddique, 27, of Northumberland Street, Normanton, and Mohammed Romaan Liaqat, 28, of Briar Lea Close, Sinfin – were jailed indefinitely.
A judge said Saddique's aim was to have sex "at any price".
In 2012, a police investigation named Operation Kern led to another eight men being jailed for a total of 42 years for plying under-age teenage girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before paying them for sex.
The men, who acted individually and did not know each other, received sentences which ranged from four to seven years after preying on six girls in Normanton and Pear Tree.
The girls, who were 15, were believed to have been part of a bigger group of youngsters being picked up from the streets for sex in 2009 and 2010.
