Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is defined as the buying, selling, or trading of a sexual act with a child. CSEC is also commonly referred to as domestic minor sex trafficking. Contrary to popular belief, sex trafficking does not need to involve the actual transportation or movement of the victim. CSEC may include prostitution, stripping, nude pictures, images of child sexual abuse (more popularly referred to as child pornography), or child sex tourism.

Although CSEC affects many youth across the spectrum of race, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status, there are some youth who appear to be more vulnerable than their peers to being exploited for sexual purposes. One such potential vulnerability involves youth affected by intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. This population may be uniquely vulnerable ...