The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Growing Problem

The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a large and growing problem. Unfortunately I can’t prove that statement. But that’s my sense based on watching and investigating this problem at the street level for over 30 years.

When I was the Chief Investigator of a state agency in Illinois, we conducted a five year investigation into the sexual exploitation of children. Our investigation demonstrated that the problem was large and spanned the nation. Most children, both boys and girls, who were being exploited were runaways. At the time there had been no reliable studies conducted that could give us insight into exactly how large the problem was. But since we found it everywhere we looked we knew it was big.

One of our recommendations back then was for research agencies, in addition to the police, to focus on the problem of child prostitution, both male and female.

More than thirty years later, no research agency has seriously taken up the challenge. A recent study (available here: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18358) criticizes the lack of effective research.  (more...)

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Growing Problem