Susan’s life fell apart at the age of 13, when her mother died.

“I didn’t get along with my dad and I hated school, so I moved out,” she says. “No-one seemed to notice. I got into drinking, it helped me forget.”

Susan was introduced to a friend’s dad, who offered her a place to stay. He was 43.

“He paid for all my drink. I suppose he did it to keep me quiet,” says Susan.

Fast developing a drink problem, she was kept secretly in a flat by the violent abuser and was ordered to sleep with other men. She was beaten until she ‘did what she was told’.

Dependent on alcohol, self-harming and with nowhere to go, Susan felt trapped. Eventually her abuser was arrested, and social services later put her in touch with Barnardo’s.

“If it hadn’t been for that, I’d be dead by now,” says Susan. “The Barnardo’s people were the first ones to take any real notice.”

Susan is no longer drinking, she has a supported housing flat and has started college. But Barnardo’s claims thousands more sexually-exploited children and young people are being failed by the system.

Barnardo’s projects working with children in Bradford have contributed to a national report calling for more support for exploited children. The charity is raising awareness of the issue with a TV advertisement airing on Friday.

The campaign comes as a new report – Whose Child Now? – highlights a trend in organised child trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK.

The report claims around 80 per cent of local authorities don’t have any specialist work for such children.

Fifteen years ago, Barnardo’s started working with sexually-exploited children in Bradford, and went on to set up a national network of services.

Peter Allinson, director of Barnardo’s Yorkshire, says Bradford has been a trailblazer for good practice in dealing with child sexual exploitation. “We have a good relationship with Bradford Council, which has built sexual-exploitation services into its children’s plans. There has also been a high level of support from the police,” he says.

“We’re not criticising other local authorities, because the nature of the problem means the level of need is often hidden. Often young people are too frightened to come forward, and they’re moved around the country.

“The exploitation is subtle at first, when they’re groomed by older men, then it turns nasty and they become trapped in abuse. These are vulnerable young people who’ve trusted someone they thought cared for them.” Additional information for the Barnardo’s report was provided by the National Working Group, a network representing health services, education, the police, youth work, social care, the voluntary sector and central Government working with children at risk.

Over the last year, Barnardo’s worked nationally with 1,060 exploited children and young people. Bradford-based project Street And Lanes was the charity’s first sexual exploitation service, established in 1994. Now called Turnaround, it currently works with 83 sexually-exploited young people or those considered at risk. Research carried out regionally over recent years identified children as young as 11 and 12.

Child sexual exploitation is defined as the involvement of someone under 18 in sexual activity for which a remuneration of cash or ‘in kind’ is given.

Barnardo’s chief executive Martin Narey says the true extent of the problem isn’t known because there are no official national records of children exploited in this way. “But we know, however hidden it might be, it affects many thousands of children,” he says.

The charity is calling for all local authorities to ensure these children’s needs are highlighted in children’s plans, addressing the problem with a specific service.

The report also reveals disturbing trends in child trafficking for sexual exploitation and the risks to missing children.

Of the 609 children and young people Barnardo’s is currently working with, 90 – approximately one in six – appear to have been trafficked within the UK.

But in England in 2007 (the most recent figures) there were only 25 prosecutions on the grounds of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including adults, with only 15 guilty verdicts.

Toni Johnston, assistant director of Barnardo’s Yorkshire, says: “We believe it is becoming more organised. There are networks of older men grooming and trafficking children. It’s a growing phenomenon and extremely difficult to police.

“It’s a huge risk for young people and we’re worried it’s still largely being ignored. Make no mistake, what’s happening here is abuse of children and we have a duty to protect them.”

For more about the report, visit barnardos.org.uk.