A review and critique of the U.S. responses to the commercial sexual exploitation of children

Authors: Hounmenou, Charles

Abstract: Awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the United States has increased during the last ten years. The increased awareness is reflected in the U.S. government's substantial efforts to address the problem of human trafficking through legislation including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 and its four subsequent reauthorizations. Despite these policy efforts, addressing the needs of CSEC victims who are U.S.-born children continues to be a major challenge in the implementation of the federal anti-trafficking policy. This paper reviews and critiques the responses to CSEC in the United States. Following an overview of the literature on the identification, characteristics and needs of CSEC victims, the paper discusses issues in the identification of CSEC victims and their needs. Then, the paper examines and critiques the policy responses of the U.S to CSEC within its borders. Finally, the paper provides an overview of best practices for addressing the needs of CSEC victims and critiques the availability and accessibility of services. Implications and recommendations are discussed for each of the key issues.

Keywords: children, policy response, program, services, child sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, CSEC