Children's charity Barnardo's has today launched a "landmark" new report into the sexual exploitation of children in Northern Ireland, based on research which found one in nine teenagers in the region had been sexually groomed by an adult.
The charity's report highlights the findings of the 2010 Young Life and Times (YLT) survey, an annual survey of 16-year-old care leavers and looked-after children living in Northern Ireland.
In total 786 young people responded to the survey, which this year included questions about sexual exploitation and grooming for the first time.
One in nine had been sexually exploited while one in 15 had been plied with drugs or alcohol before being abused. Almost two-thirds (62%) had not confided in any authority figure about the exploitation they had suffered.
Barnardo's research, entitled Not a World Away, highlights the particular risks posed to young people in care. Lynda Wilson, director of Barnardo's NI, urged agencies to "enact the recommendations contained within this report, without undue delay".
The 
