Thousands of British girls and young women are trapped in a brutal gang culture where sexual exploitation, guns and drug-running are a daily reality, a major new report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has shown.

The study outlines how girls are used as drug carriers because of less scrutiny from police and how rape is used to control girls and young women.

The investigation, which builds on previous CSJ work, shows how some communities have been devastated by gang activity and calls on authorities to deliver on previous pledges to tackle gang violence.

The CSJ, which carried out the research with the London-based urban youth charity XLP, says that despite a Home Office-led strategy against gang culture being launched after the riots in 2011, more progress needs to be made. It adds that in some schools problems have been exacerbated because headteachers have turned a blind eye to gang activity to protect their school’s reputation.

Researchers heard how female gang members in their teens are being pressured to have sex with young boys – some as young as 10 – to initiate males into gangs. The report also outlines a case where one schoolgirl was abducted and sexually assaulted by nine males because she criticised a gang member.

The report was featured in hundreds of national and regional broadcasts, including: BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4, ITV and BBC Radio 4’s World this Weekend. The study also featured across print media, including: the Observer, The Times, The Telegraph, The Sun, The Independent, Metro and Huffington Post.

Edward Boyd, CSJ Deputy Policy Director and editor of the report, said. “While the media regularly shines a spotlight on the criminality of male gang members, the daily suffering of girls and young women goes largely unnoticed.

“They live in a parallel world where rape is used as a weapon and carrying drugs and guns is seen as normal.”

A recent report said almost 2,500 children are known to be victims of child sexual exploitation by gangs and groups – but it is widely agreed this number is a conservative estimate.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 yesterday, Crime Prevention Minister Norman Baker MP said the Government was leading "groundbreaking work" to identify women and girls who can get drawn into gangs. He added that more can be done and that the Government will review the CSJ report.

Amongst the recommendations in Girls and Gangs, the CSJ calls for youth workers to be embedded in major trauma units in gang-affected areas. It also urges police to team up with voluntary organisations and make sure that when male gang members are arrested and imprisoned, their girlfriends get support to exit gang life.

The CSJ and XLP are also hosting a sold-out event this evening  in London exploring the ways in which girls are exploited by gangs.

Read previous CSJ gang reports Dying to Belong and Time to Wake Up.