Transnational child sexual abuse: Outcomes from a roundtable discussion

Date

2019

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

International journal of environmental research and public health

Abstract

The phenomenon of men who travel across international borders to engage in child sexual abuse presents significant public health, legal, diplomatic, cultural, and research challenges. Briefed in the current scope of this issue by relevant stakeholders across legislation, research, and social policy, a roundtable discussion held in London aimed to synthesise plenary discussions from multidisciplinary attendees across law enforcement, academia, non-profit, and industry sectors with direct relevance to the UK. Specifically, the roundtable discussions aimed to gather the central themes relating to attendee discussions on the key challenges, affected countries, response strategies, and knowledge gaps. Four key themes were identified from the data, relating to the definition of Transnational Child Sexual Abuse (TCSA), criminal justice, geographical considerations, and issues surrounding tourism/hospitality. The data highlighted four priorities for future development and research, namely developing offender typologies, victim-centric investigative practice, prevalence and definitions, and collaborations. These themes provide insight into the issue of transnational child sexual abuse from the perspective of different disciplines and offer a strategy to prioritise, and collaborate, in the efforts against transnational child sexual abuse.

Description

Keywords

child sexual exploitation, traveling offender, International Resources, child sexual abuse

Citation

Merdian, H. L., Perkins, D. E., Webster, S. D., & McCashin, D. (2019). Transnational child sexual abuse: outcomes from a roundtable discussion. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(2), 243.

DOI