Sexual Exploitation

Definitions taken from Executive Summary (Exhibit 1.1) of "The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the United States, Canada, and Mexico," a report published by the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, 2001 (revised 2002). Authored by Richard J. Estes, Ph.D. and Neil Alan Weiner, Ph.D.

The complete report can be viewed at http://caster.ssw.upenn.edu/~restes/CSEC.htm

Sexual exploitation: A practice by which a person achieves sexual gratification, financial gain or advancement through the abuse or exploitation of a person's sexuality by abrogating that person's human right to dignity, equality, autonomy, and physical and mental well-being; i.e. trafficking, prostitution, prostitution tourism, mail-order-bride trade, pornography, stripping, battering, incest, rape and sexual harassment (Hughes, 1999).

Trafficking: The transport, harboring, or sale of persons within national or across international borders through coercion, force, kidnapping, deception or fraud, for purposes of placing persons in situations of forced labor or services, such as forced prostitution, domestic servitude, dept bondage or other slavery-like practices. Agreement exists that the concept applies whether a child was taken forcibly or voluntarily (18 USC 1589 et seq.).

Prostitution: The act of engaging in sexual intercourse or performing other sex acts in exchange for money or other considerations (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, affection, etc.)

Sex tourism: Commercially organized travel and related services (e.g., hotel, transportation), usually across international borders, for persons seeking to engage in sex with citizens of other countries, including children who are citizens of those countries.

Pornography: Films, videos, magazines, writings, photographs, computer images, or other materials that are sexually explicit and intended to cause sexual arousal in the viewer.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children: The sexual exploitation of children (SEC) entirely, or at least primarily, for financial or other economic reasons. The economic exchanges involved may be either monetary or non-monetary (i.e., for food, shelter, drugs) but, in every case, involves maximum benefits to the exploiter and an abrogation of the basic rights, dignity, autonomy, physical and mental well-being of the children involved. Three types include: child pornography, child/juvenile prostitution, trafficking in children for sexual purposes.