This project examines the discursive-material construction of 'economic empowerment' at organizations serving survivors of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). It uses multiple qualitative methods, including interviews, observations, and document analysis at 18 different organizations supporting CSE survivors.

Long dismissed as a third world issue, the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) has been a significant problem across the United States over the past two decades, causing major concerns for child welfare stakeholders. The literature has shown a broad range of adverse consequences associated with CSEC. These include—but are not limited to—malnutrition, severe trauma, physical and sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, and medical neglect. The purpose of the study is to assess the readiness level of a large county in Southern California with regards to the well-being of children with a past or current record of victimization from commercial sexual exploitation. Embracing the Community Readiness Model, this case study aimed to evaluate (a) the county’s level of knowledge about programs and services to address CSEC, (b) the county leadership’s attitude toward addressing CSEC, (c) the county’s attitude toward addressing CSEC, (d) the county’s knowledge about CSEC, and (e) explore the county’s range of resources available to address CSEC. Results indicated that the county’s overall readiness score was 4.1 out of a possible 9. That is, the county had a low readiness level with respect to addressing the challenges associated with CSEC within its boundaries. Implications of the findings for theory, research, policy, and macro social work practice were discussed. Keywords: commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), community readiness model

<p>ECPAT is an organization that existed worldwide in more than 85 countries and focused at the work against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. The concept with this paper was to see how well ECPAT worked to try to achieve their goals and how organizational structure, distribution and PR work appeared. Literature review was used as a method to create a deep insight of how ECPAT looked at the global commercial sexual exploitation of children that existed. We found that ECPAT had continuous goals which was constantly present and that they never could be fulfilled. ECPATs goals and results could never be seen as something that was definitive, but it was under continuous development that continued throughout different eras.       </p>

ECPAT is an organization that existed worldwide in more than 85 countries and focused at the work against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. The concept with this paper was to see how well ECPAT worked to try to achieve their goals and how organizational structure, distribution and PR work appeared. Literature review was used as a method to create a deep insight of how ECPAT looked at the global commercial sexual exploitation of children that existed. We found that ECPAT had continuous goals which was constantly present and that they never could be fulfilled. ECPATs goals and results could never be seen as something that was definitive, but it was under continuous development that continued throughout different eras.

While commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is widespread, little research has been conducted regarding parents’ knowledge of, beliefs about, and protective actions against CSEC. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model as a lens and a quantitative survey, this study explored four questions: how knowledgeable of CSEC are parents in Mississippi and the surrounding states; what beliefs do parents have toward CSEC; how are parents taking protective actions against CSEC; and how are parents’ knowledge, beliefs, and protective actions correlated? Results from 13 participants were examined for frequencies and correlations. Findings indicated that parents have a basic knowledge of CSEC, beliefs favorable to CSEC prevention and intervention, and parents take protective actions. However, gaps and inconsistencies existed. In future, practitioners should target parents and church staff for CSEC prevention and intervention education and training.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is the sexual exploitation of minors for commercial profit. The intersection between sex trafficking victimization and substance use has not yet been explored in clinical research and is not reflected in current clinical treatment of survivors when they exit their exploitation. The research question explored in this study focused on the substance use treatment considerations and challenges clinical social workers face when treating survivors of CSEC living in Massachusetts. Subquestions included understanding how cumulative trauma from CSEC impacts substance use treatment and how the coercive use of substances aimed at maintaining victim submission impacts substance use treatment. Contemporary trauma theory was the theoretical basis that informed this action research study. The sample included 5 clinical social work practitioners who had experience working with victims and survivors of CSEC. Data collected through a focus group was coded, compared, and analyzed for major and emergent themes using the constant comparison method. The key findings of the study include the lack of training and experience specific to the population, the impact of trauma, the effect of CSEC on substance use treatment, and the need for specialized treatment services. The findings of the study may create positive social change by increasing knowledge of the dynamics of substance use treatment with CSEC survivors, informing best practices for social worker professionals working with this population, and advising the development of trauma-informed substance use treatment for CSEC survivors.

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is a significant issue that affects children, families, and communities throughout the United States. Due to the illegal nature of the problem, it is difficult for law enforcement to identify victims of DMST and when they are identified it is challenging to provide them with services. Because law enforcement often encounter DMST victims through first response calls or within juvenile hall, it is important to understand the collaboration efforts between social workers and law enforcement in order to provide effective services for this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the perceptions of law enforcement officers regarding the involvement of social workers in DMST cases. This study used a qualitative design by collecting data through face-to-face interviews with 10 law enforcement officers from Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. This design allowed participants the opportunity to provide a more in-depth explanation regarding the involvement of social workers in DMST cases. The study found that there is a need for social workers to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to provide and advocate for services for victims of DMST. The study also indicated the need for transitional housing or other placement options for youth because the current alternative is incarceration.

This pilot study used photovoice methodology to explore the current health needs of youth who were trafficked for sex and are now living in an alternative family care setting. The goals of this study were to add to the current literature regarding the health needs of victims of domestic minor sex trafficking and to add a qualitative aspect to the evaluation of the Citrus Helping Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation (CHANCE) program. Disposable cameras were distributed to a group of adolescent girls enrolled in the program who were then tasked with taking pictures of things that made them feel safe and healthy and things that made them feel unsafe and unhealthy. Five youth then participated in a focus group to discuss these photographs. Qualitative analysis of the focus group transcript revealed that youth were able to identify several emotional health coping mechanisms and that participants craved stability in their relationships with others. Youth felt that the police made them feel unsafe and they also struggled with learning how to drive. This pilot study revealed a need for emotional support systems for youth who are trafficked for sex. The study also emphasized that fact that many youth who are trafficked for sex are still dealing with everyday teenage issues, including learning to drive and navigating social media websites

171 p. / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-01-07T17:48:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 11.pdf: 588338 bytes, checksum: 70cc281d4dca5d777b0fbc9b50d803b5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-01-07T17:48:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 11.pdf: 588338 bytes, checksum: 70cc281d4dca5d777b0fbc9b50d803b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / O objetivo desta dissertação é compreender o fenômeno do turismo sexual em Salvador, BA, e o envolvimento de crianças e adolescentes neste universo complexo e repleto de tramas que dificultam desdobramentos acerca do dimensionamento de sua realidade. O fenômeno do turismo sexual vem ganhando espaço nos debates ao longo dos últimos anos, em âmbito internacional e nas discussões realizadas no Brasil acerca da exploração sexual na infância e adolescência. A partir de 2003, o Ministério da Justiça instaurou o chamado “Disque 100”, uma ferramenta para que a população possa denunciar situações onde crianças são expostas à violência física, psicológica e sexual. Além disso, na Bahia há o “Disque Denúncia”, onde a sociedade pode se manifestar por meio do registro de notificações. Apesar da disponibilidade dos serviços e de um crescimento substancial de denúncias relacionadas à violência contra a população infanto-juvenil, no que tange o turismo sexual, especificamente, praticamente não há delações. Em virtude das limitações na apreensão da participação de crianças e adolescentes na dinâmica do turismo sexual, esta pesquisa teve como base empírica a apresentação de dados secundários sobre a temática, e a análise primária das percepções de pesquisadores, especialistas e profissionais relacionados, para o entendimento da questão em três eixos: a emergência do fenômeno, o envolvimento, a mobilização e articulação de organizações governamentais, nãogovernamentais, da rede de turismo, e por fim, sobre a escassez de registros de denúncias do envolvimento de crianças e adolescentes no turismo sexual no município. Inicialmente, são apresentadas as principais idéias e dilemas conceituais inerentes ao processo de compreensão do tema. Em seguida, são realizadas conexões entre diversos aspectos do fenômeno estudado e temas que contribuem para o seu aprofundamento teórico, como sexualidade e violência, já que a dimensão estudada do turismo sexual se refere à exploração sexual infanto-juvenil. Posteriormente, são apresentados elementos referentes à análise dos dados coletados, e conclui-se que: 1) o turismo sexual é observado como imbricado à exploração sexual, quando há participação de crianças e adolescentes em seu contexto. Além disso, há diversas causas apontadas como determinantes na inserção de uma região ou país na rota do turismo de sexo, como o contexto histórico, a relação da sociedade com a sexualidade e a família, além da desigualdade social. 2) ainda que as ações de enfrentamento do turismo sexual infanto-juvenil estejam passando por um processo de maior valorização, há uma expectativa de que estas manifestações, tanto no âmbito governamental, não governamental, da sociedade em geral, quanto da rede de turismo, sejam mais efetivas e assertivas. 3) a inexpressividade de registros de notificações capazes de dimensionar o fenômeno em Salvador aparece vinculada à não percepção deste fenômeno como uma forma de violência, dentre outros fatores. Esta pesquisa contribui para as discussões realizadas acerca da temática apresentada, e as idéias aqui expostas não encerram nem esgotam as possibilidades conceituais acerca de suas dimensões, sendo necessário o aprofundamento de pesquisas na área. / Salvador

Victims of child sex trafficking in prostitution in the United States are often overlooked, misidentified, and among the most underserved type of child victim of crime. The majority of previous research on child sex trafficking has been conducted without a theoretical framework or reliable sampling methods. In this study, a schematic composed of a series of stepping-stones from childhood abuse to prostitution, which has been described by gendered pathways researchers, served as a sensitizing template for the study's development of a strain-reactive pathway into child sex trafficking. Agnew's general strain theory provided the primary theoretical basis for the proposed pathway, supplying both explanations of the generative factors of the pathway and the mechanisms operating within the life trajectory terminating in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Based on this theoretical framework, this study utilized structural equation modeling to examine the pathway by investigating the effects of caregiver strain, child maltreatment, and risk-inflating responses to strain on vulnerability to victimization in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Four structural equation models, incorporating different forms of child maltreatment, were assessed using data from a matched sample of 174 minority females who were residents of one U.S. city and participated in a longitudinal study on the effects of child sexual abuse. Findings show that the occurrence of child maltreatment including child neglect, child physical abuse, and juvenile sexual victimization increased with caregiver strain. Consequentially, neglected and abused children were more likely to have engaged in the risk-inflating responses of running away and earlier initiation of drug or alcohol use, and they also reported higher levels of relational shame. Both running away and early initiation of substance use impacted vulnerability to victimization in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Lastly, implications of the findings related to protection and intervention strategies that are projected to obstruct the progression of minors along the analytically identified pathway into child sex trafficking in prostitution are presented for criminal justice professionals, child protection investigators, and social service providers.