Sexually abused children have to deal with a "postcode lottery" in how they are treated by police, according to MPs.
Young people fleeing their abusers are often questioned on suspicion of crime but their status as abuse victims can go unnoticed, said the inquiry.
The 18-month cross-party probe also found victims were repeatedly questioned for the same information, leading to fears about not being believed.
A lack of trust in the police, with some children fearing officers, is a serious problem, said the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children (APPGC).
It heard young victims often "profoundly distrust" the police and do not believe that they are there to protect them, with some feeling humiliated by officers.
The report follows the Rotherham abuse scandal, where police failed to stop the abuse of at least 1,400 children who were sexually exploited in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2003.
Offending can often be a key indicator of sexual exploitation, according to the AAPGC.
It says victims who had been trafficked or exploited often stole food or money when running away from their abusers.
"When these children come to the attention of the police under suspicion of having committed an offence, their status as victims can go unnoticed," said the report.
"Unfortunately, the inquiry heard that the police response to CSE (child sexual exploitation) and trafficking victims was a 'postcode lottery', leading to very different experiences and outcomes for children nationally."
Children with special needs, or a language or communication difficulty, can also sometimes have their needs overlooked, the report added.
However, it did find some positive examples of police treating abuse victims more sensitively as "children first".
"This report is a real eye opener," said Conservative MP Tim Loughton, one of the vice-chairs of APPGC.
"It is more essential than ever that we have a much better position of trust between the police and our young vulnerable citizens.
"That must be in everyone's interest and whilst we found some examples of good practice, clearly more needs to be done to make good practice commonplace across the country."
Every force should have a senior officer taking charge of how best to deal with young victims, urged the report.
Deputy Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney, national policing lead for children and young people, said national statistics suggested 90% of young people felt they were dealt with fairly by police.
But she admitted that the "very detailed and balanced report ... deserves equally detailed and balanced consideration".
She added: "There is a challenge to be faced by officers who, as enforcers of the law, will not always be popular when having to deal with young people, but officers are here to protect the vulnerable and young people are vulnerable due to their age."
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