Seeing the Unseens: Building Educators Awareness of CSEC (Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children)

Wheel of RiskSurvivor Voice
Written By Emily Robinson

This blog examines how the education system can increase their awareness of children and youth being exploited who are attending their schools and the signs that educators should look out for. (Part 4 of 4)

They look like any other kid in a classroom, except for the most discerning of eyes. They may appear a typical student, whether popular, outgoing or withdrawn and shy. There may not be obvious physical marks or bruises, or overt behavior changes, unless you know the child. So much of CSEC is hidden from the eyes of adults that intersect with the lives of these youth, and unless there is awareness, education and training, it is easy to miss (Hurst, 2021). Educators in school systems can play a unique role in intervening in their lives, if they know what to look for and how to respond appropriately when a child discloses abuse or exploitation that they are experiencing (Dioron & Peck, 2022). Sadly, most youth who are being sexually exploited will be missed in the education context, a place where an adult interacts daily, and has the power to be an ally and advocate (Palmacci, 2021). Why is this? Why is it so hard to miss, and how can educators have eyes to see what is unseen? 

One reason that is obvious is that CSEC doesn’t look like you think it looks like. According to Hollywood and media, as well as popularized concepts, we are looking for strangers outside our community, kidnapped children, or overt signs of physical abuse, such as bruises, broken bones and sudden behavioral changes. While these circumstances occur, most likely, children being sexually exploited are experiencing this within their closest relationships, family members, significant others, and important role figures in their life (Hurst, 2021, Lloyd, 2011). This makes it difficult to sometimes discern what is happening, since the child is loyal to the person who is the caretaker in their life, or the one they think loves them and supports them (Jaeckl & Laughon, 2021; Hurst, 2021). They will be quick to defend their exploiter, and may not see what they are experiencing as abusive, or even believe it is their choice or they “like” doing it. All of these are survival mechanisms for a developing mind, dependent on older individuals who provide for their most basic needs, even if it is the bare minimum. The alternative of disclosure and disloyalty to the exploiter is terrifying and often dangerous for the child. The child may also be labeled rebellious, truant or trouble maker. They may have gaps in their education, multiple missed days, and be disciplined for skipping classes frequently, and therefore treated as a problem instead of asking where the behavior is stemming from (Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Cook, Barnert, Gaboian & Bath, 2016). 

How can an educator then intervene in this complex situation? Awareness and training are the first steps toward intervention. Educators need to be trained on the accurate, survivor-led, research-driven signs to look for in their students (Harper, Kruger, Varjas & Meyers, 2019). Secondly, educators should stay up to date on mandated reporting training and practice trauma-informed responsive actions when they sign in a student of something occurring that could potentially be exploitation (Chesworth, Rizo, Klein, Macy & Martin, 2020). The only way to know how to do this appropriately is to be informed and educated on what trauma informed practices look like, and that can only be built through repeated and ongoing training (Kenny, Helpingstine, Long, Perez, & Harrington, 2019). One resource that can help educators develop this skill is that schools can also hire consultants and trainers with lived experience to educate and equip their staff to be more aware of how to appropriately respond to students (Harper et al. 2019). 

Educators can be equipped to see what is so easily missed, and are uniquely positioned to intervene in a child’s life experiencing CSEC. Staff at schools, from teachers to child care aid workers, nurses and counselors, can all be touch-points for vulnerable youth to find safety and advocacy. Often, adults who experienced CSEC wish that the adults in their lives would have had more awareness and seen them instead of missing their pain and trauma (Hurst, 2021). Those involved in the caretaking and education of children can make a difference if they are properly equipped to do so.  

  • References: 
  • Barnert E., Iqbal Z., Bruce J., Anoshiravani A., Kolhatkar G., Greenbaum J. (2017). Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children and adolescents: A narrative review. Academic Pediatrics, 17(8), 825–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2017.07.009
  • Chesworth, B. R., Rizo, C. F., Franchino-Olsen, H., Klein, L. B., Macy, R. J., & Martin, S. L. (2020). Protocol schools can use to report commercial sexual exploitation of children to child protective services. School social work journal, 45(1), 40-57.
  • Doiron, M. L., & Peck, J. L. (2022). The role of nursing in the school setting to lead efforts to impact child trafficking: an integrative review. The Journal of School Nursing, 38(1), 5-20.
  • Harper, E. A., Kruger, A. C., Varjas, K., & Meyers, J. (2019). An organizational consultation framework for school-based prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 29(4), 401-422.
  • Hurst, T. E. (2021). Prevention of child sexual exploitation: Insights from adult survivors. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(13-14), NP7350-NP7372.
  • Ijadi-Maghsoodi R, Cook M, Barnert ES, Gaboian S, Bath E. (2016). Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth: Recommendations for the Mental Health Provider. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. Jan;25(1):107-22. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2015.08.007. PMID: 26593123; PMCID: PMC4725731.
  • Jaeckl, S., & Laughon, K. (2021). Risk factors and indicators for commercial sexual exploitation/domestic minor sex trafficking of adolescent girls in the United States in the context of school nursing: An integrative review of the literature. The Journal of School Nursing, 37(1), 6-16.
  • Kenny, M. C., Helpingstine, C., Long, H., Perez, L., & Harrington, M. C. (2019). Increasing child serving professionals’ awareness and understanding of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Journal of child sexual abuse, 28(4), 417-434.
  • Lloyd R. (2011). Girls like us: Fighting for a world where girls are not for sale, an activist finds her call and heals herself. HarperCollins.
  • Palmacci, S. (2021). Education for Liberation: Community Workshops to Recognize Human Trafficking.Merrimack Scholar Works. Accessed June 15, 2023. 
Emily Robinson

Emily Robinson (They/Them) is a lived experience expert consultant in familial, cult, labor trafficking and the sex industry.  They have received three years of training in master’s level counseling psychology coursework and as a lived experience expert has provided consultations to organizations such as Polaris, Dressember, Roller Skate to Liberate, and Survivor Alliance. With over 10 years of experience in the Anti-Human Trafficking Movement, they have performed research, created a one-of-a-kind program evaluation for direct service providers, and participated in advisory boards, trainings, and panels. As a lived experience expert holding diverse experience expertise and education, they offer a unique perspective on the multilayered experiences of exploitation, complex PTSD, and evaluation. Their passion is focused on research and program evaluation to help reduce client harm and increase the trauma informed health and growth of organizations.

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