Child Prostitution and other sexual abuse;

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation—A global glimpse

Howard Dubowitz

Child abuse & neglect 66, 2-8, 2017

The view of what constitutes child abuse and neglect is dependent on the laws, cultural context, local
thresholds and the availability. Since 1982, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse
and Neglect (ISPCAN) has conducted surveillance of child maltreatment and child protection every two
years, published in World Perspectives on Child Abuse. It is hoped that up to date information will
inform the development of laws, policies and programs to better address child abuse and neglect. This
article is based on data on child sexual abuse and exploitation from 73 countries gathered online in
2015-16 for the 12 edition of World Perspectives. Respondents were key informants who were
knowledgeable professionals in the child protection field. They were encouraged to consult with
colleagues so as to provide accurate information. Countries were grouped into different regions of the
world and into income level categories. The findings focus on definitions of abuse and neglect, laws,
policies and programs to address and prevent maltreatment and barriers to prevention. It is evident that
there is considerable variability across regions and country income categories, and that programs and
services need to be considerably strengthened, even in high income countries.

• Sexual abuse of children in comparative and international perspective

Rossella Selmini

Women and Children as Victims and Offenders: Background, Prevention, Reintegration: Suggestions for
Succeeding Generations (Volume 1), 821-855, 2016

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a chronic problem that can occur in any family or any country. National
governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations have given it
increasingly high priority in recent decades. Scholars also have given CSA increased attention though
more at clinical case-study than at policy levels. Some basic epidemiological conclusions can be drawn.
Girls are at considerably greater CSA risk than boys, but in some places boys also experience high levels
of victimization. Perpetrators are much more likely to be male than female, and family members or
acquaintances than strangers. Victimization is not only by adults but also by young people. Cross-
national knowledge is underdeveloped. Comparative studies are rare, partly because they are expensive
and complicated to organize but also because of fundamental differences in legal and research
definitions of the behaviours studied. Only a few countries have successfully established long-term
surveys and data series that provide a solid empirical basis for describing CSA and changes in its nature,
prevalence, and incidence. The US data provide a firm basis for concluding that the incidence of CSA in
that country has dropped substantially since the early 1990s in parallel with drops in rates of violence
generally and sex crimes specifically. The CSA research mission is to build the tools and infrastructure to
learn what is happening today, and has happened over time, cross-nationally and in all individual
countries, in order to develop better policies at the national and international level.

The sex trade industry's worldwide exploitation of children

R Barri Flowers

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 575 (1), 147-157, 2001

The twenty-first century brings with it some of the dark realities of the last century with respect to the
commercial sexual exploitation of children. Worldwide, untold numbers of children are being
systematically deprived of their human rights, dignity, and childhood through child prostitution, child
pornography, and other sexploitation. Many of these children are routinely subjected to rape, beatings,
displacement, drug addiction, psychological abuse, and other trauma, including exposure to the AIDS
virus and a life with no future. This study examines the current state of international trafficking of
children and other child sexual exploitation. Child sex tourism plays a major role in the child sex trade as
prostituted youths are routinely lured or abducted into sexual slavery and sex-for-profit. Other
prostitution-involved girls and boys are at the whim of pimps, pornographers, and other sexual
exploiters. The global exploitation of children continues to plague society, in spite of international
efforts to combat the proliferation of the child sex trade industry. Organizations such as ECPAT remain
committed to addressing the central issues pertaining to the prostituting and sexual exploitation of
children.

The public health crisis of child sexual abuse in low and middle income countries: An integrative review
of the literature

Tener Goodwin Veenema, Clifton P Thornton, Andrew Corley

International journal of nursing studies 52 (4), 864-881, 2015

Purpose

Theoretical and empirical studies conducted to ascertain the incidence and characteristics of child sexual
abuse (CSA) in developing countries around the world are inconsistent and poorly synthesized. In order
to prevent and respond to these heinous acts, clinicians and policymakers require a substantive body of
evidence on which to base interventions and treatment programs. The purpose of this study is to
conduct an integrative review of the literature concerning CSA in non-industrialized nations. Ultimately,
this evidence could be used to drive research and policy implementation in this area.

Methods
An integrative literature review of publications identified through a comprehensive search of five
relevant databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EMBase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) regarding the incidence
and characteristics of all forms of child sexual assault in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) since
1980. Independent and collective thematic assessment and analysis was utilized to identify major
concepts of the phenomenon.

Findings

Forty-four articles were identified. These represented 32 separate low or middle-income countries.
More studies were identified in low-income countries, and there was a disproportional distribution of
studies conducted on regions of the world. CSA has been identified at all levels of society in nearly every
region and continent of the world. It is being falsely perceived as a new phenomenon in some
developing countries, most likely as a result of increases in CSA reporting. Researching and discussing
CSA is difficult because of the sensitive and taboo nature of the topic. Four major themes emerged
including difficulty of accurate measurement, barriers to reporting, barriers to justice, and the false
perception of CSA as a new phenomenon. Themes of early marriage, human trafficking, sexual coercion
and forced first sex, and males as victims have been identified as characteristics and topics placing
individuals at risk for CSA. Poverty and its resultant social or family strain are exacerbating factors to
CSA.

Conclusions

There is inadequate representation of CSA research in LMICs, and an increasing awareness that sexual
abuse of children is an endemic threat to the health and safety of children worldwide. This review lays
the foundation for an array of further areas of analysis to explore the expanse of unanswered questions
that remain regarding the phenomena of CSA in low and middle-income countries.

Child trafficking;

• Child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation: A review of promising prevention policies and
programs.

Yvonne Rafferty

American journal of orthopsychiatry 83 (4), 559, 2013

Child trafficking, including commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), is one of the fastest growing and most
lucrative criminal activities in the world. The global enslavement of children affects countless numbers
of victims who are trafficked within their home countries or transported away from their homes and
treated as commodities to be bought, sold, and resold for labor or sexual exploitation. All over the
world, girls are particularly likely to be trafficked into the sex trade: Girls and women constitute 98% of
those who are trafficked for CSE. Health and safety standards in exploitative settings are generally
extremely low, and the degree of experienced violence has been linked with adverse physical,
psychological, and social‐emotional development. The human‐rights‐based approach to child trafficking
provides a comprehensive conceptual framework whereby victim‐focused and law enforcement
responses can be developed, implemented, and evaluated. This article highlights promising policies and
programs designed to prevent child trafficking and CSE by combating demand for sex with children,
reducing supply, and strengthening communities. The literature reviewed includes academic
publications as well as international and governmental and nongovernmental reports. Implications for
social policy and future research are presented.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights
reserved)

• Modern day slavery: Poverty and child trafficking in Nigeria

Olubukola S Adesina

African Identities 12 (2), 165-179, 2014

Trafficking in persons, especially children within Nigeria has become a very troubling problem. This
paper examines the nexus between poverty and child trafficking in the country. While most research on
child trafficking, especially in Nigeria, has been concerned with trafficking across borders, this study fills
a gap in the literature by focusing on child trafficking within the country. Utilizing the restricted
opportunity theories, the paper argues that poverty and lack of parental support render children more
vulnerable to being trafficked. Findings from the study showed that the root causes of child trafficking
and the vulnerability of rural communities to trafficking are attributable to acute poverty,
unemployment, ignorance and ineffectiveness of the legal framework for tackling trafficking in Nigeria.
The paper also suggests strategies for addressing this problem.

• Global human trafficking and child victimization

Jordan Greenbaum, Nia Bodrick, Emalee G Flaherty, Sheila M Idzerda, Antoinette Laskey, Lori Anne
Legano, John M Leventhal, Amy R Gavril, Parminder S Suchdev, Kevin Joseph Chan, Cynthia Ruth
Howard, Patrick T McGann, Nicole Erin St Clair, Katherine Yun, COMMITTEE ON CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT

Pediatrics 140 (6), 2017

Trafficking of children for labor and sexual exploitation violates basic human rights and constitutes a
major global public health problem. Pediatricians and other health care professionals may encounter
victims who present with infections, injuries, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidality, or a variety of
other physical or behavioral health conditions. Preventing child trafficking, recognizing victimization, and
intervening appropriately require a public health approach that incorporates rigorous research on the
risk factors, health impact, and effective treatment options for child exploitation as well as
implementation and evaluation of primary prevention programs. Health care professionals need training
to recognize possible signs of exploitation and to intervene appropriately. They need to adopt a
multidisciplinary, outward-focused approach to service provision, working with nonmedical
professionals in the community to assist victims. Pediatricians also need to advocate for legislation and
policies that promote child rights and victim services as well as those that address the social
determinants of health, which influence the vulnerability to human trafficking. This policy statement
outlines major issues regarding public policy, medical education, research, and collaboration in the area
of child labor and sex trafficking and provides recommendations for future work.

Other acts of abuses

• Child protection: legal and ethical obligation regarding the report of child abuse in four different
countries

Ivana Cukovic-Bagic, Richard R Welbury, Gordana Buljan Flander, Sahza Hatibovic-Kofman, Emilio
Nuzzolese

The Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology 31 (1), 15, 2013

Child protection is the duty of every single member of the society. Health professionals who work with
children, such as members of dental team, are in the unique position to recognize signs of physical,
sexual and emotional abuse as well as (dental) neglect. They should report any suspected case where a
child is or may be in need of welfare. The professional responsibility is regulated by legal and ethical
obligations. In this preliminary work the authors investigate the legal and ethical Acts, and the
similarities vs. differences in obligations regarding reporting child abuse and neglect (CAN) cases in four
countries: Croatia, United Kingdom, Italy and Canada. In all four countries all health professionals have a
duty to report their suspicion if a child is in a harmful situation. All of them who fail to report, or even
neglect or delay to report a suspicion, are liable on conviction to a pecuniary fine which varies from
country to country. Depending on the country, if a professional has reasonable grounds to suspect that a
child is or may be in need of protection, must report to: CAS (children’s aid society), to CSS (center for
social services), to police, to a Juvenile Court, or to the ombudsman. In all four countries, dentists are
not asked to diagnose ‘child maltreatment’, but simply report the suspicion with supportive evidence.
Ethical obligation comes from medical and dental ethical codes regulated by the Chamber or Council of
Dentists. In all four countries legal and ethical obligations in reporting CAN are similar. Differences are
related mostly to fines for nonreporting or a delay in reporting. Expanded investigation through other
European countries and standard operational procedures is needed, in order to harmonize policies and
guidelines for reporting CAN and maximize children protection.
• Child maltreatment in the worldwide: A review article

Maryam Ajilian Abbasi, Masumeh Saeidi, Gholamreza Khademi, Bibi Leila Hoseini, Zahra Emami
Moghadam

Int J Pediatr 3 (1-1), 353-365, 2015

Child abuse is a recognized public health and social problem in the worldwide. According to the World
Health Organization (WHO), child abuse includes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment,
sexual abuse, neglect and negligent treatment and exploitation. Child maltreatment is a global problem
with serious life-long consequences. In spite of recent national surveys in several low-and middle-
income countries, data from many countries are still lacking. Estimates of child maltreatment indicate
that nearly a quarter of adults (22.6%) worldwide suffered physical abuse as a child, 36.3% experienced
emotional abuse and 16.3% experienced physical neglect, with no significant differences between boys
and girls. However, the lifetime prevalence rate of childhood sexual abuse indicates more marked
differences by sex–18% for girls and 7.6% for boys. The lifelong consequences of child maltreatment
include impaired physical and mental healthe, poorer school performance, and job and relationship
difficulties. Ultimately, child maltreatment can contribute to slowing a country's economic and social
development. We conclude that child maltreatment is a widespread, global phenomenon affecting the
lives of millions of children all over the world, which is in sharp contrast with the United Nation's
Convention on the Rights of the Child.