Child Exploitation

Child Exploitation

Concepcion De Los Rios

BSHS/407

December 19, 2016

Professor: Amy Willey

Child Exploitation

The title child exploitation covers many forms of abuse involving a child who is being taken advantage of for one's own pleasure. The most familiar forms of child exploitation include:  child prostitution, child labor and child pornography. There are variable degrees of child exploitation as well as the effects that such acts can have on both the child and the family as a whole. The asperity of emotional and physical distress of the partake is often dependent on factors such as the violence used, context of the act, culture, and the purpose of the exploitation. Unfortunately, the developments and the growth in technology have enabled the growth and success of the child exploitation business on an international level. Human service professionals are among the few forces who have been made responsible for identifying and working in such cases to stop this type of abuse and try to keep the children from further exploitation and trauma.  

Child Pornography

        A big percentage of the children are tricked into taking part in child pornography by someone close to them whom they know and trust. They are not typically taken by force or physically forced; however, the act can still have destructive physical, social, and mental effects. Initial indicators present in most cases include such signs as headaches, anxiety, emotional isolation, not eating, stress, loss of sleep, some fear and withdrawn. In a study that was done, in which the victims of child pornography were interviewed in their later years many of the victims had feeling of disgrace developing into feelings of desolation, inadequacy, and desperation. So many of these victims also had difficulties building and maintaining healthy emotional and intimate relationships (Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 2014). Child pornography is seldom reported at the time the abuse took place, so children are often left to cope with their personal feelings on their own. Some parents and other family members may feel incapable because their child has secluded their feelings to themselves.  Unfortunately, this leaves both parties feeling helpless.

Child Prostitution

Child prostitution is a widespread form of child exploitation on both domestic and international grounds. The level of personal and emotional damage sustained from such abuse is completely relying on the situation; however, the one mutual factor in all cases is that the child does not know how to defend him or herself when someone bigger, firmer, and smarter has power over them. Long lasting effects include fear, scare tactics, and loss of trust for parents or others in a setting of power. These emotional stressors cause uncertainty about roles, limitations and intimate awareness. A family who is working with a child or teen that has been sexually exploited needs to have patience, understanding, support, and the right learning tools to help their child face, deal with and prevail over their trauma. It will take time and it won’t be easy, and must have constant reassurance that what happened to them is not their fault and that adults should protect them (Wright, 2014).