Review of Children with Concerns for Sexual Abuse or Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Identifying Defining Characteristics

Abstract

Introduction: Rates of child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States have been projected to be well over half a million annually. It is estimated that 3-400,000 children are victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). However, research that adequately describes sexually exploited populations is sparse, leaving medical professionals with little guidance on how to discern between patients who are victims of child sexual abuse or commercial sexual exploitation. Understanding the …