Legal Definitions - sexual exploitation

Sexual exploitation refers to the act of taking advantage of another person, especially a vulnerable individual such as a child, for sexual purposes. This often involves coercion, manipulation, or deception to compel participation in activities like commercial sex acts, the creation of sexually explicit materials, or other forms of sexual manipulation. A key element is that these actions cause, or have the potential to cause, significant emotional or psychological harm to the person being exploited.

Here are some examples illustrating sexual exploitation:

• Online Grooming and Blackmail: An adult predator establishes a relationship of trust with a teenager through online communication, gradually manipulating them into sending intimate images. The predator then threatens to publicly share these images unless the teenager complies with further sexual demands. This illustrates sexual exploitation because the teenager is being "used" for sexual purposes (sending images, potential further acts) through "manipulative activity" (grooming, blackmail) that causes significant emotional distress and fear.

• Coerced Commercial Sex in a Trafficking Scheme: An adult migrant worker is lured to a new country with false promises of legitimate employment. Upon arrival, their identity documents are confiscated, and they are forced into debt bondage. To "repay" this fabricated debt, they are coerced into performing commercial sex acts for clients arranged by their trafficker. This demonstrates sexual exploitation as the individual is being "used" for "prostitution" and "sexually manipulative activity" (coercion, debt bondage) under duress, resulting in severe emotional and psychological harm.

• Abuse of Authority in a Youth Program: A leader of a youth organization uses their position of trust and authority to pressure a young participant into engaging in sexual acts. The leader might promise special privileges or threaten to exclude the participant from activities if they refuse. This is an example of sexual exploitation because the leader is "using" a child for sexual purposes through "sexually manipulative activity" (abuse of power, intimidation) that inflicts profound emotional injury and betrayal.