Sexual Exploitation

Sexual Exploitation is the actual or attempted abuse of someone’s position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust for sexual purposes. The vulnerable person may depend on the abuser for survival, food, shelter, transportation, school, and/or social or economic needs.

Sexual exploitation can include sexual abuse, grooming, online enticement and sextortion. Many times an individual, including minors, will form a bond with their abuser either through friendship or a romantic relationship. Sexual Exploitation of a youth under the age of 18 is a form of violence.

Federal Law defines Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children as:

“The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing or soliciting of a child or person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.  Severe forms of trafficking in persons is defined as “sex trafficking in which the commercial sex act is inducted by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person inducted to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age.” [Federal law 22 USC section 7102 (9) and (10)]

California State Law expands upon this by defining Commercial Sexual Exploitation as:

“Any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.” [PC section 11165.1(d)(2)]

This means that any child under the age of 18 who is inducted to perform a commercial sex act is considered a sex trafficking victim regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is present.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation is a severe form of child abuse – REPORT IT!