Objectives
This presentation will explore commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and its evolution in the COVID-19 era. We will review risk factors, signs, and symptoms of CSEC and the role of social media and the internet on CSEC. We will delineate prevention and intervention strategies, especially related to the virtual world. We will also review sexual health intervention for CSE-impacted youth.
Methods
Suzan Song, MPH, PhD, will review the public health literature, case examples, the impact of public health measures and school closures on the propagation of CSEC domestically and globally, and risk factors, signs, and symptoms. Jessa Crisp, a lived experience expert and mental health professional for CSE youth, will use case-based examples of social media’s use in luring trafficking victims, its use by these youth for support, and its influence on social norms that facilitate trafficking. Dawn Bounds, PhD, will explore user and predator characteristics and associated risks, the online grooming process, and evidence-based strategies for prevention. Sarah Godoy will discuss a health promotion intervention developed with the expertise of lived experience experts to better address their sexual health needs. Jordan Greenbaum, MD, a forensic pathologist/child abuse physician in Atlanta, and Eraka Bath, MD, a forensic child and adolescent psychiatrist in Los Angeles, will serve as our discussants, providing their unique perspectives on the material presented and facilitating engagement with our audience.
Results
The virtual world has played an important role in the propagation of CSEC during the COVID-19 epidemic. This presentation will arm child and adolescent psychiatrists with critical knowledge about the online grooming process, recognition of youth at risk, and intervention strategies to support children and families in prevention and early intervention. Participants will also acquire knowledge in sexual health mitigation strategies for CSE-involved youth.
Conclusions
Psychiatrists have a unique role to play in prevention, early intervention, and harm reduction around CSEC. It is critical to gain a deeper understanding of the role of virtual technologies, such as internet, social media, and mobile health (m-health) technologies, in the propagation, prevention, and intervention with youth at risk for CSE and impacted by CSE.
PRE, RF, CAN
Footnotes
Sponsored by AACAP's Children and the Law Committee, Global Mental Health and International Relations Committee, HIV Issues Committee, and Women in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Committee