Human trafficking is a global problem; more than half of all victims are children. In the United States (US), at-risk youth continue to attend school. School nurses are on the frontlines, presenting a window of opportunity to identify and prevent exploitation. Available papers targeting school nurses report that school nurses may lack awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and may have attitudes and misperceptions about behaviors of school children at risk. This is a theoretical paper applying the Peace and Power Conceptual Model to understand the role of school nurses in commercial sexual exploitation of children. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.

Attitudes Awareness School nurses Commercial sexual exploitation of children Human trafficking

Child Abuse, Sexual economics human Schools school health nursing School Nursing procedures United States Humans Adolescent risk factor Risk Factors juvenile theoretical study sexual exploitation school prevention and control victim human trafficking child sexual abuse organization and management diagnosis awareness Child