Commercial sexual exploitation of children is the exploitation by an adult with respect to a child or an adolescent – female or male – under 18 years old; accompanied by a payment in money or in kind to the child or adolescent (male or female) or to one or more third parties.
CSEC involves a range of abuses, including but not limited to: the prostitution of children (e.g. survival sex, street prostitution, child sex tourism, gang-based prostitution, intra-familial pimping), child pornography (including live streaming sexual abuse), stripping, erotic massage, phone sex lines, internet-based exploitation, and early forced marriage.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), roughly one out of every five girls and one out of every ten boys will be sexually exploited or abused before they become of age.
Commercial sexual exploitation in children includes all of the following:
The use of girls and boys in sexual activities remunerated in cash or in kind (commonly known as child prostitution) in the streets or indoors, in such places as brothels, discotheques, massage parlours, bars, hotels, restaurants, etc.
The trafficking of girls and boys and adolescents for the sex trade.
Child sex tourism.
The production, promotion and distribution of pornography involving children.
The use of children in sex shows (public or private.)
Whether the children be in pornography, brothels, or trafficked they are all at risk for sexually transmitted infections, physical violence, and psychological deterioration. Research has shown that “fifty to ninety percent of children in brothels in Southeast Asia are infected with HIV.” In many cases when children are brought into the sex trade industry they are beaten and raped until they are so broken they no longer try to escape. Physical hazards can also include infertility, cervical cancer, assault, and sometimes murder. Pregnancy is also a physical risk factor for many children. Much like if they are found to have HIV or AIDS the girls are thrown out of the brothels with nowhere to go. Many of the children “break the conscious link between mind and body” in order to function in these situations. By doing so, many children begin to think they are nothing more than “whores” and some develop suicidal thoughts. Other psychological risk factors include sleep and eating disorders, gender-disturbed sexual identity, hysteria, and even homicidal rage.
Outside physical and psychological dangers lies fear of the law. Many girls and women are illegally trafficked across borders. If they manage to escape from the brothel or pimp, the women and children quickly come to the attention of the authorities. Because they do not have proper documentation they are detained by the authorities. If they are held in local jails, the women and children often suffer further abuse and exploitation by the police.
One of the many ways to aid in CSEC prevention is through education. The previously mentioned Protocol requires members to provide preventative measures against child sexual exploitation; among these preventative measures is educating the public, especially families, on the dangers of sex tourism and trafficking. World Vision is one of the leaders in creating these educational opportunities for young girls. Other efforts involve educating police, medical, and school personnel on how to identify CSEC victims and respond in a situation involving CSEC, and educating potential CSEC victims about the tactics recruiters often use to reach at-risk individuals.