The Demanding Justice Project Benchmark Assessment Report
Date
2013
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Publisher
Shared Hope International
Abstract
America’s youth are at risk because of a simple economic principle—demand for sex acts with children drives the market of exploitation. Little has been done to address the culture of tolerance or confront the obvious conclusion that penalizing buyers is essential to protecting our youth from becoming prey. Unfortunately attempts to find answers to the problem of demand have been scarce. In a very limited number of cases a buyer has been convicted federally under a provision of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and this needs to be developed for greater applicability at the state level. Enactment of good laws at the state and federal level are essential but just the beginning. Enforcement of these laws will be the deterrent necessary to stem demand for commercial sex acts. In order to make the case against demand, Shared Hope International performed a benchmark assessment of the criminal actions brought against buyers of sex acts with children. This report documents the outcomes of federal and state arrests, charges and prosecutions of buyers of sex acts with minors from 2008 to present. The goal of this study is to identify changes or trends, as well as forecast change stemming from recent case law holding buyers of sex acts with a minor accountable under the federal sex trafficking law. The Demanding Justice Benchmark Assessment Report captures information on the features of demand for sex acts with children, and criminal justice enforcement outcomes of the cases that are pursued as commercial sexual exploitation of children. (Author Abstract)
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Keywords
child abuse, CSEC, sexual exploitation, child prostitution, law, prosecution
Citation
Shared Hope International (2013). The Demanding Justice Project Benchmark Assessment Report. Vancouver, WA: Author. 52 pp.