Child Exploitation and Sex Trafficking
Child sexual exploitation is a type of sexual abuse involving control of a child through means of force, threats, abuse, or manipulation. It happens to both boys and girls and often happens to young children, pre-teenagers, or even teenagers. Children and teenagers with certain disabilities may also fall victim to sex trafficking, as predators attempt to lure in the most vulnerable victims.
Many predators use the same tactics to lure in potential trafficking victims. Many times, this begins with the predator friending a young child or teen online in hopes of them talking to the potential victim. This is often called grooming. Children can groomed by a stranger, family member, or anyone who has access to talk to the child/teen. Grooming occurs both in real life and online. Grooming often involves promises to the child such as food, alcohol, drugs, gifts, affection, and/or love. Also common is when a predator convinces the child/teen into thinking that they are a friend or even a boyfriend. Many predators will force trust between between them and the child/teen and will convince the victim to meet them to 'hang out'. This can often lead to rape, abuse, assault, or kidnapping which could turn into sex trafficking or child exploitation.
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Sexual Exploitation of a Child
Sexual exploitation of a child is defined as the act of using, persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions or child pornography. Actual acts that are considered sexual exploitation of a minor include the following:
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Indecent touching or exposure to a child
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Use of sexually explicit language towards a child
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Involvement of a child in pornography
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Showing a child pornographic images or material
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Rape and/or sexual abuse/assault
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Incest
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Sexual slavery or sex trafficking
Sexual exploitation of a minor can sometimes also include transportation of the minor from one state or city to another with the intent of engaging the child in any type of sexual behavior.
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NCMEC leads the nation in the fight to end child exploitation as well as working to find missing kids. Another new way that children are put in danger is through sextortion.
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Sextortion: a relatively new form of sexual exploitation that occurs primarily online in which coercion and blackmail are used to acquire sexual content (like photos or videos) of a minor, to extort the child for money, or to meet to engage in sex with the child.
Has your child run away?
1. Immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
2. After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678).
When contacting NCMEC, be prepared to provide detailed biographical information about your child as well as information about the circumstances surrounding the runaway event.
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The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also handles cases of missing kids and teens that have not runaway, but are missing for other reasons such as family abductions, attempted abductions, infant abductions, autism and wandering, long-term missing & unidentified children, children missing from care, and critically missing children and young adults. If you need immediate assistance, dial 911 or your local police department and contact NCMEC directly after. They also handle child exploitation and sex trafficking cases involving children and teens.
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The internet is an incredibly amazing part to our daily life. However, with over 15 million reports made to the CyberTipline since 2011, we are all aware that the internet is a tool that can be dangerously used for awful purposes.
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Children in exploitative relationships often receive something such as gifts, money or love and affection as a result of performing sexual activities or vice versa. Sometimes, children or teenagers believe that they are in a loving and consensual relationship. They may also see nothing wrong in what's going on, due toeing groomed and led to believe that the situation is normal. Young people often trust their abuser and don't understand that they're being abused.
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When sexual exploitation happens online, young people may be pressured to do the following:
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send or post sexually explicit images of themselves online or on social media
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take part in sexual activities via a mobile device or webcam
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have sexual conversations by text or online with adults
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Images or videos may continue to be shared after the sexual abuse has stopped
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Sometimes, child exploitation can be a result of gang activity and/or being part of a violent gang
FederalLaws
Federal law (18 U.S.C. §2256(8)) defines child pornography as any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture or computer/computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical or other means, of sexually explicit conduct, where the:
Production of the visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct,
Visual depiction is a digital image or computer/computer-generated image that is, or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or
Visual depiction has been created, adapted or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Federal law (18 U.S.C. §1466A(a)) also criminalizes knowingly producing, distributing, receiving or possessing with intent to distribute, a visual depiction of any kind, including a drawing, cartoon, sculpture or painting, depicting:
-A minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct that is obscene, or
-An image that is, or appears to be, of a minor engaging in graphic bestiality, sadistic or masochistic abuse or sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital or oral-anal, whether between people of the same or opposite sex that lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value (this information is according to NCMEC statistics and their website).
It is a federal crime to knowingly possess, manufacture, distribute or access with intent to view child pornography (18 U.S.C. §2252(b)). In addition to this, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing the possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography. As a result, a person who violates these laws may face federal and/or state charges.
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In other words, it's highly illegal to engage in any type of sexual activity with a child or a younger teenager: online or in person. Again, if you have any information regarding a possible crime involving a child, call your local or state police immediately. Do not assume that someone else will do it. You do it. If a child is in need of help, get them the help that they deserve.