Terminology in Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
These are some definitions on terms in Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation.
If you know of something that needs a definition here please feel free to
email me.
Child Exploitation
Using a minor child for profit, power, status, sexual gratification, or some other purpose.
Origin of Exploitation 1795-1805, French exploit +-ation
Unfortunately, there is a large market and interest in using children of all ages for cheap labor,
sexual purposes, child pornography, and other purposes. Many individuals taking part in child
exploitation do it because there is a large profit to be made, essentially selling the services
of children, or the children themselves, to others. Others use children to create child pornography,
or for personal sexual gratification.
Thorn.org
A broad term that encompasses all forms of child sexual exploitation. This may include many of
the other terms on this list, such as child sexual abuse material, child sex trafficking,
and others like sextortion. This is one of the broadest ways to talk about the issue as a whole,
rather than the individual and nuanced pieces.
Legal Definition
18 U.S. Code § 2251 - Sexual exploitation of children
(a) Any person who employs, uses, persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any minor to engage in,
or who has a minor assist any other person to engage in, or who transports any minor in or
affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States,
with the intent that such minor engage in, any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing
any visual depiction of such conduct or for the purpose of transmitting a live visual depiction of
such conduct, shall be punished as provided under subsection (e), if such person knows or has reason
to know that such visual depiction will be transported or transmitted using any means or facility of
interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed, if that
visual depiction was produced or transmitted using materials that have been mailed, shipped, or
transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, or if
such visual depiction has actually been transported or transmitted using any means or facility of
interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed.
(b) Any parent, legal guardian, or person having custody or control of a minor who knowingly permits
such minor to engage in, or to assist any other person to engage in, sexually explicit conduct for the
purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct or for the purpose of transmitting a live visual
depiction of such conduct shall be punished as provided under subsection (e) of this section, if such
parent, legal guardian, or person knows or has reason to know that such visual depiction will be transported
or transmitted using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate
or foreign commerce or mailed, if that visual depiction was produced or transmitted using materials that have
been mailed, shipped, or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including
by computer, or if such visual depiction has actually been transported or transmitted using any means or facility
of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed.
(c) (1) Any person who, in a circumstance described in paragraph (2), employs, uses, persuades, induces,
entices, or coerces any minor to engage in, or who has a minor assist any other person to engage in, any
sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States, its territories or possessions, for the purpose
of producing any visual depiction of such conduct, shall be punished as provided under subsection (e).
(2) The circumstance referred to in paragraph (1) is that—
(A) the person intends such visual depiction to be transported to the United States, its territories or
possessions, by any means, including by using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or mail; or
(B) the person transports such visual depiction to the United States, its territories or possessions,
by any means, including by using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or mail.
(d) (1) Any person who, in a circumstance described in paragraph (2), knowingly makes, prints, or
publishes, or causes to be made, printed, or published, any notice or advertisement seeking or offering—
(A) to receive, exchange, buy, produce, display, distribute, or reproduce, any visual depiction, if the
production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and
such visual depiction is of such conduct; or
(B) participation in any act of sexually explicit conduct by or with any minor for the purpose of producing
a visual depiction of such conduct;
shall be punished as provided under subsection (e).
(2) The circumstance referred to in paragraph (1) is that—
(A) such person knows or has reason to know that such notice or advertisement will be transported using any
means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any
means including by computer or mailed; or
(B) such notice or advertisement is transported using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce
or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means including by computer or mailed.
(e) Any individual who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this
title and imprisoned not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years, but if such person has one prior conviction
under this chapter, section 1591, chapter 71, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under section 920 of title 10
(article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), or under the laws of any State relating to aggravated sexual
abuse, sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact involving a minor or ward, or sex trafficking of children, or the production,
possession, receipt, mailing, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of child pornography, such person shall
be fined under this title and imprisoned for not less than 25 years nor more than 50 years, but if such person has 2
or more prior convictions under this chapter, chapter 71, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under section 920 of title
10 (article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), or under the laws of any State relating to the sexual
exploitation of children, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned not less than 35 years nor more
than life. Any organization that violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this
title. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person,
shall be punished by death or imprisoned for not less than 30 years or for life.
Child Sex Trafficking
Refers to the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting
of a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Force, fraud or coercion do not need to be present
for the crime to be considered child sex trafficking (justice.gov, humantraffickinghotline.org)
Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing or
soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is
induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is 17 or younger.
Labor trafficking involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtainment of a person
through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage
or slavery.
Those trafficked are of all ages, races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, sexual orientations,
socioeconomic backgrounds and citizenship statuses. Traffickers can be anyone, including family members,
intimate partners, business owners and community leaders. Trafficking occurs in various industries, such as
restaurants, massage parlors, hotels, factories, domestic services, child care, health care and sexually
oriented businesses.
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
Refers to any content that depicts sexually explicit activities involving a child.
Visual depictions include photographs, videos, live streaming, and digital or
computer generated images indistinguishable from an actual minor. CSAM better describes
the reality of this crime, rather than the legal term of child pornography. It’s
important we use terminology that reflects the impact of this crime on its victims
(Thorn.org).
Human Trafficking
Involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.
(DHS.gov)
Incest
1 sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden by law to marry
2 the statutory crime of such a relationship
First Known Use: 13th century, in the meaning defined above
History and Etymology:
Middle English, from Latin in cestus sexual impurity, from in cestus impure, from in- + castus pure, more at CASTE
Incest Medical Definition
sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden by law to marry
the statutory crime of engaging in such sexual intercourse
History and Etymology
Latin in cestus sexual impurity, from incest us impure, from in- not + castus pure
Pedophilia
1. sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object
2. a psychiatric disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child
First Known Use 1906, in the meaning defined above
Pedophilia Medical Definition
1. sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object
2. a psychiatric disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child
