What is Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)?

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) comprises of sexual abuse by adults and payment in cash or kind to the child or a third person or persons and is a fundamental violation of children’s rights.

Commercial sexual exploitation is a contemporary form of slavery of children and consists of practices that are demeaning, degrading and many times life-threatening to children. The child is treated as a commercial and sexual object.

CSEC is expressed through multiple forms of prostitution and pornography as well as the sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

According to a 2001 University of Pennsylvania study, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 adolescents are sexually exploited annually in the U.S. Hard data for New York City is scarce, a failing that is indicative both of public interest on the issue and the difficulties of capturing statistics of an underground and transient population. National research does however indicate a clear correlation between factors such as poverty, lack of education, abusive backgrounds and recruitment into prostitution.

Statistics show that as many as 90% of prostituted youth have been sexually or physically abused and many have run away from home to escape such abuse only to encounter far worse on the streets. There are also many societal factors which exacerbate the issue, including racism, sexism and classism.   In New York City, low-income young women of color are most affected by sexual exploitation and are rarely seen as victims, but rather criminalized for their victimization.

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) is committed to helping our youth.

GEMS targets its services to marginalized young women who have been victimized by sexual exploitation. Although there are always exceptions, this population is comprised predominately of low-income girls and young women of color between the ages of 12 and 21 who have had involvement with the child welfare, criminal or juvenile justice systems and has histories of trauma and sexual abuse.   The vast majority of young women served by GEMS have histories of extreme trauma and often prior exploitation.

To get involved in the fight to protect our children or to learn more about CSEC and GEMS

 please contact us Stop Violence Against Young Women and Girls