BBC Democracy Live - Public Petitions Committee debate: Report on Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation in Scotland Public Petitions Committee Convener David Stewart MSP is leading a debate on the Report on Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation. In July 2011, Barnardo's Scotland lodged a public petition calling for new research into the nature and scope of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Scotland and the revision of Scottish government guidelines. In response the committee undertook an inquiry to determine which issues should be prioritised, the effectiveness of current measures for the tackling and prevention of CSE and to make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of those measures. On 14 January 2014, the 1st Report, 2014 (Session 4), Report on tackling child sexual exploitation in Scotland was published and called on the Scottish government to develop a co-ordinated national approach to tackle the sexual exploitation of children. The committee found that while good practice did exist the overall picture was "piecemeal." The report made several key recommendations including: The Scottish government should develop a national strategy for tackling and preventing CSE and the support of victims Commission of research into the exploitation of refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in relation to 'sex-trafficking' A multi-agency approach to the gathering of data to provide an accurate picture of the extent of the issue in Scotland A study into the prevalence of CSE in rural and remote areas Educational support through schools into CSE, sexual stereotyping and sexual bullying and the use of social media Refuges for young people experiencing, or at risk of, CSE.