SOURCE: ECPAT-USA
May 30th, 2013 |
ECPAT-USA:
"Today we release our report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys in the United States, And Boys Too: An ECPAT-USA discussion paper about the lack of recognition of the commercial sexual exploitation of boys in the United States You can download the report by clicking here."
"Today we release our report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Boys in the United States, And Boys Too: An ECPAT-USA discussion paper about the lack of recognition of the commercial sexual exploitation of boys in the United States You can download the report by clicking here."
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URL to report: AND BOYS TOO
http://ecpatusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/AndBoysToo_FINAL_single-pages.pdf
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The long-existing commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the United States began to gain
attention after the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and its reauthorizations
in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2013. During this period, nearly all the attention of state and local governments, law
enforcement, and service providers has been focused on sexually exploited adolescent girls. While there has
been some increased awareness about sexually exploited boys in the U.S. over the past several years, most
law enforcement and services providers often miss them entirely or view them as too few to be counted or not
in need of services. The little notice given to boys primarily identifies them as exploiters, pimps and buyers
of sex, or as active and willing participants in sex work, not as victims or survivors of exploitation.1 Discussion
of boys as victims or survivors of CSEC is frequently appended to a discussion about commercially sexually
exploited girls. A panel discussion about commercial sexual exploitation often ends with these words: “…and
boys too.”
While awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of boys (CSEB) has paled next to that of commercial sexual
exploitation of girls (CSEG), two important studies in the past 12 years, The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico by Estes and Weiner (2001) and The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children in New York City by Curtis et al. (2008), have estimated that high percentages of commercially sexually
exploited children in the U.S. are boys. In order to examine why CSEB receive much less attention and to
question the widespread popular assumptions that they are willing participants or even exploiters and not
victims, ECPAT-USA has carried out a study to examine available information about CSEB, their participation in
CSEC, and services available to them. The study conducted a number of desk reviews that were supplemented
by interviews with 40 key service providers and youth agencies.
The research explored several questions relating to the existence and circumstances of CSEB: Do they exist?
What are their backgrounds? Who are their exploiters? At what age are they exploited? What are their needs
and what services are available to meet those needs? Although many of the answers were inconclusive, several
clear findings and messages stood out. Most significantly, responses from service providers clearly indicate
that the scope of CSEB is vastly under reported, that commercial sexual exploitation poses very significant
risks to their health and their lives; that gay and transgenders are over-represented as a proportion of the
sexually exploited boys; and that there is a shortage of services for these boys. The fact that boys and young
men may be less likely to be pimped or trafficked highlights the fact that even if there is no third party involved
in the commercial transaction, “buyers/exploiters” of sexually exploited children should be prosecuted under
anti-trafficking statutes.
Based on our research and responses from service providers, ECPAT-USA proposes a number of
recommendations. Two immediate needs are clear: first, to raise awareness about the scope of CSEB
and second, to expand research about which boys are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and how to meet
their needs.
1 For an example see: Cates, J. (1989). Adolescent Male Prostitution by Choice. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 6(2), 151-156. For further analysis see: Dennis, J. (2008). Women are Victims, Men Make Choices: The Invisibility of Men and Boys and young men in the Global Sex Trade. Gender Issues, 25(1), 11-25.3
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TRAFFICKING MONITOR: From the body of the discussion paper:
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Acknowledge the existence of CSE boys and young men, their risk for physical and mental health harm,
and their need for services. Include both GBTQ and heterosexual boys with attention to their different
circumstances and needs
2. Raise awareness among local and federal law-enforcement officers and foster-care agencies that boys in
the sex trade are victims whose fear of stigma and rejection exacerbates their denial and prevents them
from acknowledging their victimization.
3. Establish screening and intake systems for CSE boys at runaway and homeless youth centers and social
service agencies, and conduct sensitivity training of workers to recognize CSEB and to elicit information
from boys and to address shame and stigma.
4. Support the establishment of male-focused anti-trafficking agencies with staff trained to meet the need to
CSE boys.
5. When appropriate, encourage agencies and service providers that focus on girls to expand their mandate
to include boys, and hire and train male workers
6. Encourage collaboration among organizations that already address CSE boys and young men, and to
advocate for wider recognition among law enforcement, public health community, policy makers and the
public of their existence and harm to CSE boys
7. Conduct further research on LGBTQ youth on advantages and disadvantages of gender-specific or co-ed
service agencies.
8. Conduct research about the health impact of sexual exploitation on boys and young men.
9. Revise existing statutes to make it easier to prosecute exploiters of children even when there is no pimp or
trafficker involved.
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