Why are children of color disproportionately affected by sexual exploitation in industrialized nations (including the United States)? Why are ethnic minorities targeted within nations in the developing world? It seems that the issue is one of value and visibility. These concepts are intrinsically linked to socioeconomic status and stability within the individual's home life.
One of the most significant factors in the exploitation equation is poverty. The risk of being lured or coerced by sexual exploiters increases when boys and girls have to actively participate in the search for survival strategies for themselves and their families. Poverty can sometimes lead to absenteeism in school or drop out from school, making the child invisible to the built-in social safety net in the form of teachers, counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
Within the United States, children of color and immigrant youth are particularly at risk of being sexually exploited, an issue intimately linked with socio-economic status and status within the larger community. Experiences of racism, sexism, classism, cultural dislocation, pressures to assimilate in to the dominant culture, and the stereotyping of girls of color as “exotic” (fetishization of other ethnic/cultural heritage) are all factors that increase the vulnerability of children and youth. This can be especially true in small rural communities that have smaller visible minority populations, where racism results in extreme isolation for youth of color. Visible minority communities often face specific barriers to addressing issues of sexual exploitation due to cultural norms around sex, gender roles, and opportunities for dialogue. Immigrant youth face additional barriers to accessing programs and information due to cultural and language differences.
Within the United States, children of color and immigrant youth are particularly at risk of being sexually exploited, an issue intimately linked with socio-economic status and status within the larger community. Experiences of racism, sexism, classism, cultural dislocation, pressures to assimilate in to the dominant culture, and the stereotyping of girls of color as “exotic” (fetishization of other ethnic/cultural heritage) are all factors that increase the vulnerability of children and youth. This can be especially true in small rural communities that have smaller visible minority populations, where racism results in extreme isolation for youth of color. Visible minority communities often face specific barriers to addressing issues of sexual exploitation due to cultural norms around sex, gender roles, and opportunities for dialogue. Immigrant youth face additional barriers to accessing programs and information due to cultural and language differences.
Only on rare occasions will a sex trafficker abduct a child from a neighborhood that enjoys social power. Doing so carries too high a risk. A family from an empowered community is more apt to mobilize legal and political authorities to conduct an extensive search for an abducted child. If caught, recruiters face a higher probability of prosecution and place their entire operation at risk. Why would recruiters take that risk when so many candidates can be found in relatively powerless neighborhoods?
Defining and recognizing sexual abuse can be a particular challenge for some communities. In Gilligan et al (2006), respondents to a questionnaire about awareness of sexual abuse in Asian communities generally felt that there is knowledge of the crime within the community. However, the subject is taboo - people were unwilling to discuss it. There is often a need to overcome the view that child sexual abuse is a western phenomenon, found largely, if not exclusively, in white communities.
In countries in the developing world, the themes are similar. The victims of trafficking are often seeking escape from poverty. The children most likely to be trafficked are girls, those from tribal groups and ethnic minorities, stateless people, and refugees (according to the UN special rapporteur).
According to author Siddhartha Kara:
Different cultural situations produce different types of exploitation. In India, for example, the caste system and a history of bonded labour mean that tribal and low-caste children are more likely to be trafficked than others. In West Africa, a long tradition of sending one's children to work in the home of a better-off relative or friend has facilitated the trafficking of ever-increasing numbers of children, especially for domestic work (and often or eventually into sexual servitude).
In each of the three primary-origin regions of sex trafficking, minorities were the most heavily trafficked populations during the socioeconomic upheaval caused by economic globalization (Kara, 2008). Dalits in India, Tamang in Nepal, hill tribes in Thailand and Vietnam, Karen in Burma, Roma in Albania, and Gagauzes in Moldova were the most frequently trafficked and enslaved populations from their home countries. Lower-caste individuals rarely found justice because law enforcement and judicial systems were deeply biased against them. Majority ethnicities saw the minorities as ignorant and subhuman. Exploiting them for labor was similar to exploiting animals. Enslaving them for sexual exploitation was an unabashed statement of racial superiority.
Children who are trafficked lose contact with their families. They are taken into an entirely new situation, often to another country, to a place where they don't know anyone and don't speak the language. They are vulnerable to many kinds of abuse, including sexual abuse. It is difficult for them to seek help not just because they are children, but because they are often undocumented citizens, with false documents or no documents. These facts are compounded by their parent's financial status - their children will be next to impossible to track down without vast financial resources and connections.
Gilligan, P. and Akhtar, S. (2006). Cultural barriers to the disclosure of child sexual abuse in Asian communities: Listening to what women say. British Journal of Social Work, 36(8): 1361-1367.
Kara, S. (2008). Sex trafficking: Inside the business of modern slavery. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
