Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States (IOM, 2103)
Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States. IOM, 2013.
Abstract
Every day in the United States, children and adolescents are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Despite the serious and long-term consequences for victims as well as their families, communities, and society, efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to these crimes are largely under supported, inefficient, uncoordinated, and unevaluated.
The IOM and National Research Council studied these crimes as they affect U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States under age 18. The IOM/NRC report offers recommendations concerning strategies for responding to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States, new legislative approaches, and a research agenda. The report concludes that efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors in the United States require better collaborative approaches. These efforts need to confront demand and the individuals who commit and benefit from these crimes. The recommendations in the report have the potential to advance and strengthen the nation’s emerging efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors.
Human trafficking is often thought of as an acute problem in developing countries or among immigrants in developed countries. But in 2013, the Institute of Medicine released a report examining the impact of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking on minors who are either U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents of the U.S., offering a series of recommendations for combatting these crimes in the American context.
Disclaimer: Recognizing and acknowledging the significance this report/policy statement will have on women’s health does not indicate a tacit ethical endorsement of everything within the document or the organization it represents.