The Commercial and Non-commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in North America: Canada, Mexico and the United States

Abstract

The sexual exploitation of children is not new, but in the last quarter of the twentieth century to the present day, this set of horrific practices has continued to grow. The phenomenon is worldwide and exists as a continuum of sex crimes committed against children: child sexual abuse, child sexual assault, and the exploitation of children for commercial sexual purposes. This phenomenon annually brings suffering to the lives of tens of thousands of children between the ages of 7 and 19 in the North American region, i.e., Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This chapter explores the nature, extent, and severity of sexual exploitation (in all of its forms) for the youth in these three countries. The chapter also presents a series of recommendations designed to reduce the suffering associated with both commercial and non-commercial child sexual exploitation.