Academic Pediatrics
Volume 17, Issue 8, 2017, Pages 825-829

Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Children and Adolescents: A Narrative Review (Review)

Barnert E.* , Iqbal Z. , Bruce J. , Anoshiravani A. , Kolhatkar G. , Greenbaum J.
  • a Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, United States
  • b Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif, United States
  • c Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif, United States
  • d Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif, United States
  • e Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif, United States, UCLA Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Los Angeles, Calif, United States, Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, Calif, United States
  • f Stephanie Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Ga, United States

Abstract

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents represent a severe form of child abuse and an important pediatric health concern. Youth who are commercially sexually exploited have a constellation of clinical risk factors and high rates of unmet physical and mental health needs, including conditions that directly result from their victimization. Common physical health needs among commercially sexually exploited children and adolescents include violence-related injuries, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and other acute infections. Common mental health conditions include substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidality, and anxiety. The existing literature indicates that trauma-informed approaches to the care of commercially sexually exploited youth are recommended in all aspects of their health care delivery. Additionally, medical education that attunes providers to identify and appropriately respond to the unique needs of this highly vulnerable group of children and adolescents is needed. The available research on commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents remains fairly limited, yet is expanding rapidly. Especially relevant to the field of pediatrics, future research to guide health professionals in how best to identify and care for commercially sexually exploited children and adolescents in the clinical setting signifies a key gap in the extant literature and an important opportunity for future study. © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association

Author Keywords

sexual Child abuse child Adolescent Commercial sexual exploitation of children Human trafficking

Index Keywords

anxiety Child Abuse, Sexual depression health care personnel mental health human violence drug dependence sex trafficking sexually transmitted disease paramedical education Humans psychology Adolescent risk factor Review pregnancy sexual exploitation medical education prevalence child sexual abuse human trafficking Child Abuse posttraumatic stress disorder child health care infection crime victim health care delivery health care need health practitioner Crime Victims Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85029501581&doi=10.1016%2fj.acap.2017.07.009&partnerID=40&md5=80aa13ed94097a8621fdfeebd47fc3e9
DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2017.07.009
ISSN: 18762859
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English