Commercial Sexual Exploitation Research Articles

Criminalized for Surviving: A Call for Legal Relief for Survivors of Human Trafficking

ABSTRACT The passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 triggered an uprising of individuals interested in joining the anti-trafficking movement. Since then, public policy, awareness, fundraising, and short-term rescue and restore efforts have increased across the United States. However, it is questionable whether such efforts improved the well-being of those victimized by and/or who have survived trafficking. Despite rallies, chants, and social media posts of #TimesUp and #BelieveSurvivors amidst our nation’s #MeToo movement, minors who have been traded, sold, and bought by adults for commercial sexual exploitation continue to be prosecuted for the crimes of which they are victims—prostitution or even worse, human trafficking. Utilizing the authors’ personal as well as professional direct practice, advocacy, and research expertise in the anti-trafficking movement, and through the sharing of a case of trafficking in which a survivor, despite her victimization, faced criminalization, this article illuminates the [said unintentional] harm that is far too frequently facilitated by the very systems set-up to assist vulnerable and marginalized individuals. A second follow-up article, Criminalized for Surviving: A Call for Social Justice Advocacy in Anti-Trafficking Efforts, will detail the experiences and lessons learned while advocating for survivors harmed by our criminal legal systems.

Help-Seeking Among Children Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review aims to summarize current research on help-seeking behaviors and patterns among children who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) victimization and/or are at high risk of exploitation. Because the literature on help-seeking specific to CSEC victimization is limited, the current review was expanded to summarize findings from help-seeking research for children who have experienced harms that often co-occur with CSEC, such as maltreatment and homelessness. The authors searched three large article databases (PsycInfo, Ovid MEDLINE, and Web of Science) for articles that were (a) empirical; (b) measured or used the term "help-seeking" in their framing and/or results; (c) included children between the ages of 12 and 18; (d) primarily focused on children from the United States; (e) published in English. Ultimately, 22 articles met all inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Results suggest that cisgender white females are the most likely to seek help, followed by sexual and gender minority children. Cisgender male children were the least likely to engage in help-seeking behaviors. Universally, children were more likely to engage in informal help-seeking rather than formal help-seeking, with younger children being more likely to reach out to parents and older children more likely to reach out to friends. Importantly, ethnically diverse children were under-represented, leading to limited information about how and why these children seek help. Implications for help-seeking by children impacted by commercial sexual exploitation are discussed, providing guidance for programming and research related to CSEC prevention.

5 - Beyond Poverty: Why are Some Children more Vulnerable to Commercial Sexual Exploitation than Others?

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a conscience- wrenching problem that has become a pandemic feature of Zimbabwean society. Studies on CSEC have invested significant attention on identifying the factors that cause and perpetuate CSEC. There is a general consensus among studies that poverty is the main cause of CSEC. However, it is argued in this study that while the singular, dominant and generalised narrative that poverty is the main cause of CSEC is helpful, its deficiency is that it does not explain why some children are more vulnerable to CSEC than others. In order to address this question, this study examines how individual, family and societal risk factors cumulate in peculiar ways to make some children more vulnerable to CSE than others.

Exploring the Link among adverse childhood experiences and commercial sexual exploitation

BackgroundYouth with involvement in commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) frequently have extensive adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), affecting their mental health outcomes. Expanding ACE research reveals the complex situations of marginalized youth, particularly those in CSE. ObjectiveTo examine ACEs’ frequency and severity in youth with and without CSE involvement, enhancing ACEs understanding. Participants and SettingMarginalized youth (n = 200) referred for trauma/psychological evaluations by the Department of Child Services or juvenile probation were divided into CSE-involved (n = 153) and non-CSE-involved (n = 47) groups. CSE-involved youth were subcategorized according to CSE duration: less than two months (n = 56) or two months or more (n = 97). MethodTrauma/psychological evaluations were used to code ACEs, evaluating their prevalence, diversity, and impact. Two evaluators coded the ACEs, with a third resolving any discrepancies. Differences in the occurrence and frequency of ACEs were compared based on the presence and duration of CSE involvement. FindingsParticipants encountered a broad spectrum of ACEs. Those involved in CSE had higher ACE frequencies, notably in family violence (IRR = 1.28, p = 0.02), sexual abuse (IRR = 1.251, p = 0.04), community violence (IRR = 1.469, p = 0.007), and personal ACEs (IRR = 1.224, p = 0.04). Findings revealed a heavier trauma load in CSE-involved youth, intensifying with longer involvement. ConclusionThese findings highlight the extent and diversity of ACEs among youth involved in CSE. Future research is needed to explore possible pathways through which ACEs might contribute to CSE involvement and the ways in which detailed assessment of youths’ histories can inform therapeutic programming.

My Body, My Choice: An Adapted Sexual Health Intervention for Youth with Histories of Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Youth with commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) histories experience high rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, with few interventions targeting their needs. We therefore piloted an evidence-based sexual health education intervention tailored for CSE-impacted youth, My Body, My Choice (MBMC). MBMC was implemented in two rounds between March and October 2021 with a total of 37 youth who completed a baseline questionnaire, engaged in a 13 to 16-hour online course over two to three weeks, and then assessed the course’s likability and feasibility via a post-course evaluation survey. To measure sexual health knowledge retention and attitudes, follow-up questionnaires were administered at baseline, 1-month, and 3-months post-course. Descriptive and bivariate analyses examined demographic characteristics and differences between timepoints. Most participants identified as female (92%), and Latinx (57%) or Black (27%). Overall, youth had an improved understanding of sexual health concepts over time, with significantly increased knowledge regarding birth control methods such as IUDs and condoms. Youth expressed high rates of satisfaction with MBMC, with 93% seeking continued course access. Findings underscore the utility and acceptability of MBMC and may inform future interventions to reduce health disparities and improve sexual health outcomes among youth with CSE histories.

What promotes engagement in formal and informal help relationships? Perspectives of commercially sexually exploited youth

BackgroundThe literature on help engagement of commercially sexually exploited youth has tended to focus on the challenges of such relationships and has been mostly grounded in studies of professional help relations from professional perspectives. ObjectiveThis study is part of a large-scale study on help seeking and help related experiences from the perspectives of commercially sexually exploited youth (CSEY). This paper focuses specifically on the beneficial characteristics of help as seen by CSEY. Participants and settingFifty commercially sexually exploited youths, in the present or in the past. MethodsIn-depth semi-structured interviews, conducted and analyzed in accordance with the principles of Constructivist Grounded Theory. ResultsThe study identified four characteristics of beneficial help that were salient both to help relations with professionals and in relations with peers and friends: Continuity and long-term ties; Sharing similarities; brokering help by others; “doing family,” and “performing home.” ConclusionsThe significance of the various help experiences appeared to be more a function of how the help was provided and the nature of the relationship, rather than whether it was provided by formal or informal helpers. Nonetheless, the study underscores the critical importance of care and support by peers and friends and calls for further examination of the ways these might be integrated into services and programs for youths who are subject to commercial sexual exploitation. It also cautions not to “professionalize” informal friendships.

Risk and Protective Factors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) has emerged as a critical child protection and public health concern in recent years. While the phenomenon is prevalent globally, its impact is compounded in sub-Saharan Africa owing to the cultural and socioeconomic challenges that leave many households in the region vulnerable. The present study synthesized existing evidence using the socioecological model as a guiding framework to assess the risk and protective factors associated with CSEC in sub-Saharan Africa. A protocol for the study was published in PROSPERO (CRD42022331832) with pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were screened and extracted from eight databases: PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, PROQUEST (Social Science Premium), PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE via Ovid. After an initial screening of 4,377 papers, seven studies were found eligible for the final review. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide for reporting systematic reviews. Included studies were appraised and rated using the Cambridge Quality Checklist and GRADE. Findings revealed risk factors, including adverse childhood experience and victimization, females aged 16 years and older, school dropouts, technology influence, child and parental alcohol use, and separation from caregivers. On the other hand, protective factors such as the number of female adolescents in a household, frequent health screening in schools, children being in school, and high parental monitoring were found to be associated with a lower risk of CSEC. Based on these findings, we recommend that interventions in sub-Saharan Africa adopt a holistic approach that addresses identified risk factors while harnessing protective factors to combat CSEC effectively.

Misery of the dark world: assessing risk of young women trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in Darjeeling Himalayas using fuzzy TOPSIS

Misery of the dark world: assessing risk of young women trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in Darjeeling Himalayas using fuzzy TOPSIS

What is Known About the Magnitude, Trend, and Risk for Child Sexual Abuse and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the United States?

ABSTRACT Many nationally representative datasets are available for assessing the magnitude, trend, and risk for child sexual victimization in the United States. Unfortunately, the disaggregation of sexual violence into more specific sex crimes and the reliable measurement of these specific acts are often avoided by researchers due to the methodological limitations of victimization data. For example, previous scholars have successfully measured the strength of the relationship between the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and child sexual abuse (CSA) within their respective samples; however, little is known about the extent to which CSEC occurs in the larger U.S. population, irrespective of past CSA. This study presents new analyses of publicly available representative data on the incidence, trend, and risk for CSA and CSEC independent of one another. We find that significantly more is known about CSA than CSEC. In addition, while victims of CSA and CSEC share many risk factors, CSA is far more common than CSEC, and their trends are going in different directions. We find that rates of CSA and CSEC are often derived from data with significant methodological limitations, such as administrative datasets that are limited to only victimizations reported to governmental agencies or representative surveys that measure the incidence/prevalence in one year alone, not repeatedly as required to assess trends. We fill in some of the gaps existing in our analyses with a review of other studies examining CSA and CSEC, as well as discuss future directions in research that researchers and child welfare practitioners should consider.

Contact with Foster Care and the Juvenile Delinquency Court: A Prospective Examination from Birth through Age 18

Abstract Purpose Research has demonstrated a link between out-of-home foster care and subsequent juvenile justice involvement. Understanding factors that may contribute to dual system involvement for young people who entered foster care is essential for disrupting this relationship. Method We used population-based linked administrative records to examine the prevalence of juvenile delinquency court petitions among individuals placed in out-of-home foster care in Los Angeles County from birth to age 18. By integrating records from child welfare and probation, this analysis of individuals born between 1998 and 2001 and who lived in the county’s out-of-home foster care system (N = 29,434) showed that 2,554 (8.7%) had encountered a juvenile delinquency court petition prior to turning 18. Results Regression results showed an increased rate of dual system involvement among young people in foster care who experienced unstable living conditions, periods of absence from care, commercial sexual exploitation, or group homes. Instability in living situations (staying in care for more than a year, with three or more homes or placements; RR = 1.31; CI = 1.16, 1.48) and history of group home care (RR = 1.43; CI = 1.25, 1.64) were significantly associated with a heightened rate of dual system involvement. As shown in the gender-stratified models, the magnitude of associations between dual system involvement and foster care experiences differed by gender. Discussion The current study aligns with prior studies showing a relationship between residential instability and group homes to subsequent delinquency court involvement. Findings set a baseline so future work can explore if policies aiming to reduce reliance on group care are associated with changes in the likelihood of dual system involvement.

Punishment Of Perpetrators Of Criminal Acts That Intentionally Place And Carry Out Economic And Sexual Exploitation Of Children Is Linked To The Principle Of Justice

<em>Law is a social control instrument that may be used to decide or regulate people's conduct to ensure that it complies with the law. One of the crimes that is increasingly gaining attention worldwide is Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), which is defined as the use of girls and/or boys for sexual activities that are paid for with cash or in kind items. Law enforcement and the government have made an effort to combat the crime of commercial sexual exploitation of minors by enforcing laws and implementing measures such as requiring judges to be courageous and experienced in executing the law in order to achieve justice. There are still many instances of child prostitution, which calls for a more thorough investigation.</em>

On the Overlap of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Intimate Partner Violence: An Exploratory Examination of Trauma-Related Shame.

Every year, millions of people experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), with researchers increasingly discussing the overlap between these two forms of interpersonal violence. However, researchers have not yet used quantitative methods to examine the link between IPV and CSE or to explore potential mechanisms underlying the overlap, including child maltreatment risk factors and psychological mechanisms. One potential mechanism is trauma-related shame, a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder commonly experienced by both victims of CSE and IPV. The current study explores trauma-related shame, childhood maltreatment, and IPV and their associations with CSE using a sample of 174 primarily Black women. Binomial logistic regression is used to analyze the impact of IPV, child abuse and neglect, and trauma-related shame on CSE. Results indicate that IPV and trauma-related shame are both significant predictors of CSE. Implications for future research and the incorporation of shame in trauma-related treatment are discussed.

Online and Offline Sexual Exploitation of Boys, Young Men, and Trans/Third Gender Youth and Adults in Northern Thailand

ABSTRACT Globally, anti-trafficking prevention organizations and law enforcement have struggled to keep up with the constantly changing online spaces used for sex trade and trafficking. The current study aimed to understand the current state of online commercial sexual exploitation of boys, young men, and trans/third gender children and adults in Thailand. Using a respondent-driven sampling methodology, data were collected from 94 individuals assigned male at birth, ranging in age from 16 to 39 years old regarding 1) Demographics, 2) Entrance into Sex Trade, 3) Sex Trade & Exploitation in Person, 4) Online Sex Trade & Exploitation, 5) Physical and Emotional Safety, and 6) Accessing Support Services. Results found that the use of the internet for child sexual exploitation and sex trade is pervasive, with the majority of respondents noting participation in both in-person and online engagement with customers. Physical and sexual violence were frequently reported among respondents. Furthermore, gender norms and expectations present unique vulnerabilities for cisgender males and trans/third gender people from accessing and receiving support and services. The results of this study inform comprehensive recommendations for service providers, policymakers, funders, and researchers, and work toward the UN Sustainable Development Goal of promoting a just, peaceful, and inclusive society.

Child’s Right Protection in Cameroon

Children are human beings below the age of 18 years. They are distinctive and privileged since they are a vulnerable group of human beings. Children have human rights such as the right to education, health and a standard of living. These rights have to be respected and protected. As per the Triple Prong Theory of Protect, Promote and Fulfil, it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that its citizens enjoy their human rights. The ideas that animated children’s right movement developed after the Second World War and the atrocities of The Holocaust. Children are often victims of bad treatment, negative social and cultural practices, sexual abuse and all forms of economic hazardous exploitation. This research exposes child labour as a major infringement of child rights that needs to be eliminated. Children engage in this activity out of desperation or are forced. Although they are coming from poor families, some of them have to work. Others are trafficked and forced to work in plantations while others are in commercial sexual exploitation. It therefore becomes necessary to investigate on activities violating children’s rights and possible mechanisms. This paper makes use of an in-depth analysis of International legal instruments protecting children’s rights at the international level. These international legal instruments are ratified and applied with other national instruments protecting children’s rights, yet, these rights are still violated. It is recommended that measures should be taken to intensify the fight against child labour in the area of education. Cameroon has a good legal framework for the protection of children’s rights. However, child labour which is manifested in its various forms only suggests that more is expected from the government in protecting children’s rights.

Legal Protection of Children as Victims of Sexual Exploitation

The government has accommodated children's rights in Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights which is an umbrella act for all forms of human rights protection in Indonesia, including children's rights. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in girls where girls are easily persuaded, is sold at a high selling value. Consumers assume that girls are cleaner from venereal diseases and not too many suffer from them. Children who are victims of CSEC are entitled to legal protection from law enforcement, the government and the state to ensure that children's rights remain unfulfilled. Normatively, the rights of CSEC victims are adequately protected by Law Number 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection (Articles 4-20). In this case, the protection of children's rights has acquired a stronger legal basis, because in more detail the rights and obligations of the child's executors have been regulated in such a way, including their criminal provisions. Children of CSEC victims receive special protection through Article 59 and Article 64 paragraph (3) of Law No. 23/2002. In addition to Article 5 of Law Number 13 of 2006 concerning the Protection of Witnesses and Victims

Contexts and Characteristics of Imaged-Based Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children: Incident Dynamics in a National Sample.

This paper describes incident characteristics and dynamics associated with six specific forms of image-based sexual exploitation and abuse of children (IBSEAC). Data were collected on a national sample of 2639 individuals aged 18-to-28 from a probability-based online panel. Respondents completed a self-administered survey questionnaire, providing detailed follow-up information on their experiences of image-based sexual victimization before the age of 18. A total of 607 incidents of IBSEAC were included in the analyses. Findings show substantial diversity in incident characteristics within and across the six forms of IBSEAC (nonconsensual sharing of sexual images, nonconsensual taking or making of images, forced image recruitment, threatened sharing, voluntary image sharing with an older adult, and commercial sexual exploitation involving images). Some notable patterns include frequent involvement of perpetrators who are other youth or young adults, who are known in-person to the victim, and who are intimate partners. The diversity and complexity of dynamics revealed in this study underscores the need for careful design and evaluation of prevention programs and the core messages directed at youth.

Human trafficking, sexual exploitation and digital technologies

This is the introduction to the special issue on ‘human trafficking, sexual exploitation and digital technologies’. This special issue contributes to the knowledge base by bringing together four articles that focus on the use of online platforms by human traffickers for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. In doing so, this special issue explores the affordances of online platforms to human traffickers, the challenges faced by law enforcement and other actors seeking to intervene in human trafficking in the digital age, and perhaps pathways towards overcoming these challenges in the future.

Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children within the Context of Globalisation

Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children within the Context of Globalisation

Coping self-efficacy and social support as predictors of adolescent sex trafficking exit: Results of a secondary analysis.

Social work case management services are increasingly available to youth who want to exit commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). However, few empirical studies investigate the efficacy of such services, particularly whether these services promote an exit from CSE. Guided by ecological systems theory and the Intentions to Exit Prostitution (IEP) model, this study investigates the efficacy of social work case management services for youth CSE survivors. Youth survivors of CSE (n = 95) participated in a one-group, quasi-experimental double pre/posttest design study. Measures included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (Cop-SE), and a modified version of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) surveys at zero- and six-months following study commencement. The research team also collected demographic and victimization data, the number and type of social work case management services received, and goal plan data. Analyses included repeated measures tests and linear and multinomial logistic regressions to determine if doses of social work case management are predictive of the positive short-term outcomes that are linked to increased readiness to exit CSE. Youth CSE survivors experienced upward trends in perceived social support and coping self-efficacy scores between zero- and six-months following study commencement. Linear and logistic regressions demonstrated that variables like months of service time, trafficking classification, goal counts, race, and age can predict outcomes like survivor social support, coping self-efficacy, and intention to change behaviors that can lead to revictimization. Results suggest social work case management services that improve coping self-efficacy and perceived social support can lead to cognitive changes that promote an exit from CSE. Practitioners should target services that adhere to dimensions of the IEP as these improvements are likely to support positive outcomes for youth survivors of CSE.

Understanding the Presence of Human Trafficking Through the Lens of Feminism Philosophy

Human trafficking has raised significant political and public concerns in the contemporary time period. Individuals are often illegally trafficked throughout India for various purposes, such as forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. India is an infamous destination for trafficked women from Bangladesh, primarily for commercial sexual exploitation. In West Bengal, the challenge of human trafficking poses a serious concern to the residents. Often in the news and official reports, it is observed that two districts of West Bengal, namely North Bengal and South 24 Parganas, are considered the main haven for perpetrators to traffic humans from one place to the other. The porous border that West Bengal shares with Bangladesh has aggravated the situation since the perpetrators can escape the scope of security while engaging in human trafficking. In order to understand the presence of human trafficking in contemporary times, an action that has been termed illegal for over a century now, this research will analyze and discuss why trafficking of humans still continues to persist through the lens of feminist philosophy. This research article seeks to analyze the theoretical framework advocated by the neo-abolitionists who condemn all forms of prostitution as they believe it is oppression against women and tries to understand the presence of human trafficking as a consequence of gender oppression.