“Some of our most vulnerable children also face the threat of being victimized by commercial sexual exploitation. Runaways, throwaways, sexual assault victims, and neglected children can be recruited into a violent life of forced prostitution.”
– Deputy Attorney General James Cole speaks at the National Strategy Conference on Combating Child Exploitation in San Jose, California, May 17, 2011.
The Prostitution of Children
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to lure, transport, or obtain a child, and engage that child in prostitution or any illegal sexual activity. Offenders of this crime, commonly referred to as traffickers or pimps, will recruit, entice, or capture a child and sell him or her for sex in order to benefit, profit, or gain something of value. Children involved in this form of commercial sexual exploitation are victims.
The prostitution of children is considered a form of human trafficking, also referred to as sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a lucrative industry, and criminals traffic children just as they would traffic drugs or other illegal substances. The prostitution of children is a serious crime, and convicted offenders face severe statutory penalties. (For more information, see Citizen's Guide to Federal Law on the Prostitution of Children).
Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors
Under federal law, a child does not need to cross international or even state borders to be considered a victim of commercial sexual exploitation, and unfortunately, American children are falling victim to this crime within the United States.
Pimps and traffickers sexually exploit children through street prostitution, and in adult night clubs, illegal brothels, sex parties, motel rooms, hotel rooms, and other locations throughout the United States. Many recovered American victims are street children, a population of runaway or throwaway youth who often come from low income families, and may suffer from physical abuse, sexual abuse and family abandonment issues. This population is seen as an easy target by pimps because the children are generally vulnerable, without dependable guardians, and suffer from low self-esteem. Victims of the prostitution of children, however, come from all backgrounds in terms of class, race, and geography (i.e. urban, suburban, and rural settings).
Often in domestic sex trafficking situations, a pimp will cause a child victim to feel dependent on prostitution for life necessities and survival. For example, a pimp will lure a child with food, clothes, attention, friendship, love, and a seemingly safe place to stay. After cultivating a relationship and engendering a false sense of trust with the child, the pimp will begin engaging the child in prostitution. It is also common for pimps to isolate victims by moving them far away from friends and family, altering their physical appearances, or continuously moving victims to new locations. In many cases, victims become so hardened by the environment in which they must learn to survive that they are incapable of leaving the situation on their own.
International Sex Trafficking of Minors
Another form of sex trafficking involves the cross border transportation of children. In these situations, traffickers recruit and transfer children across international borders in order to sexually exploit them in another country. The traffickers can be individuals working alone, organized crime groups, enterprises, or networks of criminals working together to traffic children into prostitution across country lines.
This form of sex trafficking is a problem in the United States, and recovered victims originate from all over the world, including less developed areas, such as South and Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America, to more developed areas, such as Western Europe. Once in the United States, a child may be trafficked to any or multiple states within the country. These victims are often moved far from home and thrown into unfamiliar locations and culture. They may be given a false passport or other false documentation to conceal their age and true identity. They may also struggle with the English language. All of these factors considered, it can be extremely difficult for a child victims of sex trafficking to come forward to law enforcement.
Child Victims of Prostitution
The term prostitution can delude or confuse one’s understanding of this form of child sexual exploitation. It is important to emphasize that the children involved are victims. Pimps and traffickers manipulate children by using physical, emotional, and psychological abuse to keep them trapped in a life of prostitution. It is not uncommon for traffickers to beat, rape, or torture their victims. Some traffickers also use drugs and alcohol to control them.
Technological advances, in particular the Internet, have facilitated the commercial sexual exploitation of children by providing a convenient worldwide marketing channel. Individuals can now use websites to advertise, schedule, and purchase sexual encounters with minors. The Internet and web-enabled cell phones also allow pimps and traffickers to expand their clientele base, which may expose victims to greater risks and dangers.
In addition, many child victims suffer from physical ailments, including venereal diseases, tuberculosis, infections, drug addition, malnutrition, and physical injuries resulting from violence inflicted upon them. Children may also suffer from short–term and long–term psychological effects such as depression, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness.
CEOS’s Role
CEOS attorneys work with the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Attorney´s Offices around the country, and other state and local parties to investigate and prosecute cases arising under federal statutes prohibiting the prostitution of children. CEOS works to not only punish and jail offenders, but to protect the rights and welfare of the children involved.
In addition, CEOS maintains a coordinated, national-level law enforcement focus, and helps coordinates nationwide and international investigations and initiatives. CEOS attorneys travel all over the world to conduct trainings for investigators, law enforcement personnel, and others involved in efforts to prosecute this crime. Moreover, CEOS designs, implements, and supports law enforcement strategies, legislative proposals, and policy initiatives relating to federal laws prohibiting the prostitution of children.