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Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?

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Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs DEC. 07 National Institute of Justice Special REPORT Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 Michael B. Mukasey Attorney General Cybele K. Daley Acting Assistant Attorney General David W. Hagy Acting Principal Deputy Director, National Institute of Justice This and other publications and products of the National Institute of Justice can be found at: National Institute of Justice www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij Office of Justice Programs Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods www.ojp.usdoj.gov DEC. 07 Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. NCJ 215733 ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL CRIME / DEC. 07 ABOUT THIS REPORT Much investigation remains to to NCMEC. Federal programs be done regarding the com­ include the FBI’s Innocent mercial sexual exploitation of Images National Initiative, children (CSEC). As with other which targets crimes con­ “low visibility” crimes, there is ducted via the Internet, and a a lurking “dark figure” of unre­ U.S. Postal Service program ported cases. Moreover, little focusing on child obscenity reliable information exists sent through the mail. On an about the types of people international level, the United who exploit children in States participates in World this way. Congresses on CSEC and supports United Nations Research has revealed that programs that attack CSEC CSEC takes place at three lev­ on the global stage. els: local exploitation by one or a few individuals, small region­ al networks involving multiple What more can adults and children, and large be done? national or international sex crime networks where chil­ ■ Keep pace with new tech­ dren are traded and sold as nologies, such as those commodities. that create “virtual” images of children in pornographic situations. What prevention and ■ Educate potential victims intervention programs about the tactics used by exist? recruiters. Current U.S. outreach pro­ ■ Educate the public about grams include the National the great harm caused by Center for Missing & Exploit­ CSEC. ed Children (NCMEC) Cyber- Tipline and 40 regional task ■ Improve parental supervi­ forces funded by the Office sion of vulnerable children. of Juvenile Justice and Delin­ quency Prevention. There ■ Enhance the role of is also a Federal law that women and children in requires Internet service societies where they are providers to report child treated as sex objects. pornography on their systems ii COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN Jay Albanese Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? The commercial sexual ex­ be sexually exploited for ploitation of children (CSEC) is monetary gain by family and sexual abuse of a minor for friends. Often, the cycle of economic gain. It involves exploitation begins when an physical abuse, pornography, adult family member or friend prostitution, and the smug­ sexually abuses a minor child gling of children for unlawful in his or her care. This can purposes. Although there escalate to systematic sexual have been efforts in recent behavior involving multiple years to better define CSEC, children, and to photograph­ more needs to be done to ing or videotaping sexual publicize its existence and abuse and distributing it develop strategies to reduce through the Internet. its incidence. The criminal justice system The number of known cases has a significant role to play of CSEC is growing. Children in addressing commercial are being kidnapped and sold child sexual exploitation, into forced labor in the illegal especially in its more orga­ sex industry. Some impover­ nized forms: serial victimiza­ ished families are selling their tion of multiple children; children to traffickers in the networks of adult exploiters; hope of giving the children a and the kidnapping, smug­ better life. There are docu­ gling, and sale of children as About the Author mented reports of children commodities. As technology being held captive in base­ and communication become Jay Albanese, Ph.D., is a ments and other slavelike more advanced and global professor at Virginia Commonwealth Univer­ conditions where they are travel becomes easier, the sity’s L. Douglas Wilder beaten, malnourished, threat­ effort to prevent CSEC must School of Government ened, and sexually exploited. become more sophisticated. and Public Affairs and a previous director of NIJ’s In the United States, it is International Center. more common for children to 1 ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL CRIME / DEC. 07 How extensive is the the public’s ability to report problem? cases of child sexual exploita­ tion. From 1998 to 2004, To date, no concerted effort there were almost 300,000 has been made to gather hotline tips regarding child reliable data regarding the sexual exploitation (see extent of the commercial exhibit 1). sexual exploitation of chil­ dren. As with other so-called Increases in CyberTipline “low visibility” crimes, the calls may be due to a number greatest challenge in assess­ of reasons: ing the prevalence of CSEC ■ is the size of the “dark fig­ Growing awareness of ure,” i.e., for every report of dedicated ways to report CSEC, how many cases go child sexual exploitation. unreported? ■ Rapid growth worldwide in In 1996, the U.S. Congress the use of the Internet. established the Exploited ■ A Federal law requiring Child Unit within the National Internet service providers Center for Missing & Exploit­ to report child pornography ed Children (NCMEC). Two on their systems to NCMEC. years later, NCMEC launched a toll-free telephone line, ■ An increase in the CyberTipline (1–800–843–5678), prevalence of the sexual and a Web site (www. exploitation of children. cybertipline.com) to increase NCMEC estimates that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys are Exhibit 1. Calls to NCMEC CyberTipline sexually abused or assaulted Year Tips Increase before they reach adulthood; less than 35 percent of those 1998 4,578 — cases are reported to authori­ 1999 9,673 111% ties. Unfortunately, the data on which these estimates are 2000 19,276 99% based are incomplete. 2001 24,460 27% 2002 43,097 76% Interviews with police officers, 2003 81,987 90% victim service providers, and, if possible, victims and 2004 112,017 37% offenders may help develop Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children a better understanding of the 2 COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN problem. More accurate data United States.1 Pimps scout on the commercial sexual bus stations, arcades, and exploitation of children is nec­ malls, focusing on girls who essary before the success of appear to be runaways with­ prevention and intervention out money or job skills. measures can be evaluated. Pimps, or their procurers, befriend the children by showing affection and buying Continuum of abuse, them meals, clothes, jewelry, recruitment, and or video games in exchange exploitation for sex. The case histories of child Eventually, pimps use the chil­ sexual exploitation victims dren’s emotional and financial often reveal a continuum of dependency to coerce them abuse, frequently starting into selling sex for money with abuse by a family mem­ that is turned over to the ber (see exhibit 2). pimp. In time, the relationship becomes less emotional and A study on recruitment, more “contractual” as the based on a survey of child pimp sets a minimum on the and youth service providers child’s earnings. In one case, and interviews with officials for example, a pimp recruited at governmental and non­ girls from Vancouver, British governmental organizations, Columbia, and took them to estimated that pimps control Hawaii, withholding their about 50 percent of the girls papers so they could not engaged in prostitution in the leave. The girls were drugged, Exhibit 2. Continuum of abuse and commercial exploitation* Adult family member or friend sexually abuses the child. Adult abuses the child regularly. Abuser seeks other children. Photographs/videos shared via Internet. Photos/videos sold via Internet. Family members or friends pimp children. Children kidnapped, sold for prostitution and sex tourism. *Based on numerous case histories. 3 ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL CRIME / DEC. 07 handcuffed, and told that if children obtained referrals they did not comply, photo­ from waiters, doormen, taxi graphs of them engaging in drivers, receptionists, night­ sex would be sent to maga­ club security guards, valet zines or to their families.2 parking attendants, and street vendors.3 Traffickers also recruit chil­ dren by convincing families— through “success” stories— How is CSEC that their children will be organized? safer, better taken care of, and taught a useful skill or Little reliable information is trade. Cash may be paid to available regarding the types families, to be “repaid” of people and networks in­ through their child’s earnings. volved in CSEC. Existing (Sometimes a “contract” is data come from a small created that implies a legal number of research studies indebtedness, which provides and reports of nongovern­ even more leverage to force mental organizations, none a child into prostitution.) of which provide a complete picture of CSEC. One Mexican study revealed that, upon arriving in Tijuana, Research based on interviews 14- to 17-year-old girls were with pimps and sexually ex­ recruited by “middlemen” ploited children in several U.S. (local exploiters), beaten, and cities found that most pimps threatened that their families manage one to three girls at a would be harmed. Other time and operate along the fol­ means of maintaining control lowing lines:4 over the prostituted children ■ included giving them drugs At least half appear to oper­ and keeping them in forced ate at the local level only isolation.
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