Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is rapidly increasing at a rate well beyond agency and system resources and abilities to achieve meaningful results. These CSEC activities and crimes involve the sexual abuse and exploitation of children for the financial benefit of individuals and organized criminal entities. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), some examples of these crimes are:
- child sex trafficking/the prostitution of children;
- child sex tourism involving commercial sexual activity;
- commercial production of child pornography;
- online transmission of live video of a child engaged in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value
- CSEC also includes situations where a child, whether or not at the direction of any other person, engages in sexual activity in exchange for anything of value, which includes non-monetary things such as food, shelter, drugs, or protection from any person.
- Depending on the specific circumstances, CSEC may also occur in the context of internet-based marriage brokering, early marriage, and children performing in sexual venues.
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“Sexual abuse and exploitation of children rob the victims of their childhood, irrevocably interfering with their emotional and psychological development. Ensuring that all children come of age without being impacted by sexual trauma or exploitation is more than a criminal justice issue, it is a societal issue.” Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Sexual Exploitation of Children.
