When we dress young girls and babies in bikinis, we may think they look cute, but we are sexualising them.

In my time as a detective in the police, I worked for a year investigating serious sexual offences and then four years managing registered sex offenders. I can tell you that the deviants of society are more likely to be drawn to babies and young girls who are dressed like adults.

When did we normalise dressing babies and little girls as women? Posed images of babies and little girls in bikinis, published on swimwear websites, are very close to what Scottish law considers level one, category C indecent images.

It is now common to see children dressed in what I can only describe as inappropriate clothing for their age. But it’s not the parent’s fault; it’s society's.

Gender stereotypes and social norms in children

While on holiday in Gran Canaria, a mother-and-daughter combo pained my heart.

The daughter was about 7 years old, yet her whole ensemble was a decade ahead of her age. She wore an animal-print bikini with a sarong around her waist. She was matching her mother’s attire.