It Can't Happen in My Backyard: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in the United States

This article describes the issue of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States and details the risk factors associated with young girls entering the life. The consequences of commercial sexual exploitation are detailed and the barriers to effectively combat this growing phenomenon are investigated. Service providers who work with this population are highlighted, promising practices are discussed, current research is critiqued, and recommendations for developing a comprehensive response to the issue of commercial sexual exploitation are outlined.     

Strengthening Canadian Law Enforcement and Academic Partnerships in the Area of Online Child Sexual Exploitation: The Identification of Shared Research Directions

This article outlines the law enforcement response to online child sexual exploitation and identifies two key areas of research that would benefit from an academic focus—the link between online and offline child sexual exploitation offending, and the psychological health and wellness of online child sexual exploitation investigation employees. While there are several areas in need of research, these two areas demonstrate a unique opportunity for collaborative work. Also highlighted is a joint international research partnership among law enforcement, practitioners and academia that demonstrates the benefits of linking academic research interests with the practical needs of law enforcement. Last, are several suggestions for operationally relevant collaborative research in this area. Such opportunities bring together various areas of expertise, which will advance our understanding of the needs of victims, and improve victim support services.     

Of Frames, Cons and Affects: Constructing and Responding to Prostitution and Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation

This article provides a critical analysis of the manner in which prostitution and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation was ??framed?? by official discourses in order to support the reforms in England and Wales contained within the Policing and Crime Act 2009. Drawing upon the recent work of Judith Butler, emphasis will be placed on how the schema of the vulnerable prostitute was fundamental to invoking emotional affects, which justified certain political effects, especially the move towards criminalising the purchase of sexual services. However, on closer analysis the article will uncover an agenda influenced by law and order/morality, immigration and a ??fear of the enemy??. Furthermore, it will be argued that New Labour??s framing of the problematic enabled the State to avoid dealing with the more difficult, but more urgent, issues of the differential distribution of wealth, precarity and the engendering of an ethical and global responsibility for the other.     

Sexual Harassment Reconsidered: The Forgotten Grey Zone

The concept of sexual harassment in the Nordic countries and the European Union (EU) is an important tool for creating gender-equitable workplaces. This article contains an analysis of the conceptual ambiguity of sexual harassment with reference to: firstly, the lack of clarity in terms of the relation between the subjective (the perspective of the harassed individual) and the objective (legal assessment) aspects; secondly, the diffuse scope of the objective assessment; thirdly, the attribution of too much importance to the subject’s perception. Even though the concept of sexual harassment classifies behaviours depending on individual interpretations, the legal construction recognizes the individual’s perception in a flexible manner. If the victim does not interpret the abuse as sexual harassment, then it is not. However, if the victim does consider it sexual harassment, it will not necessarily be interpreted as such. The consequence of the three-fold ambiguity of the concept is the creation of a gender-equality grey zone. Problematic behaviours in workplaces may pass as acceptable and “normal”. Subjective perception matters only when it confirms an objective incident. Defining sexual harassment in solely objective terms and determining which gender-related issues prevent equality would result in similar dilemmas, one of which would be the diminishing of those individuals who are subject to harassment. It is imperative to question the dogma that has the victim deciding whether a situation might be considered sexual harassment because: firstly, the subjective perceptions of the victim seem to be of minor importance in changing negative gender structures in workplaces; and, secondly, potential victims of harassment tend to interpret the situation as something else. Furthermore, since the current definition of sexual harassment is characterized by a preoccupation with behaviours and not with structural dimensions, the definition may actually counteract its purpose of increasing gender equality.     

Conceptualizing the Harms Done to Children Made the Subjects of Sexual Abuse Images Online

The innovation of the Internet and the proliferation of new digital technologies in everyday life have unfortunately created more opportunities for the sexual abuse of children and especially the global distribution of child sexual abuse images online (CSAIO). Most of the current therapeutic interventions being used were designed to treat ‘conventional’ sexual abuse trauma. Victims of CSAIO may experience ongoing trauma because the recordings of their abuse have the potential to be endlessly viewed and shared by those with a sexual interest in children some of whom may be known to them. However, little is known about the potential psychological harm to victims, the extent to which existing trauma treatment modalities are applicable to them, or what modifications of these treatments may be required for effective treatment. This paper explores current ways of understanding the harms done to the victims of CSAIO and presents cautions and recommendations for moving forward.     

Family Financial Stress and Adolescent Sexual Risk-Taking: The Role of Self-Regulation

The ability to control one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors is known as self-regulation. Family stress and low adolescent self-regulation have been linked with increased engagement in risky sexual behaviors, which peak in late adolescence and early adulthood. The purpose of this study was to assess whether adolescent self-regulation, measured by parent and adolescent self-report and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, mediates or moderates the relationship between family financial stress and risky sexual behaviors. We assessed these relationships in a 4-year longitudinal sample of 450 adolescents (52 % female; 70 % white) and their parents using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that high family financial stress predicts engagement in risky sexual behaviors as mediated, but not moderated, by adolescent self-regulation. The results suggest that adolescent self-regulatory capacities are a mechanism through which proximal external forces influence adolescent risk-taking. Promoting adolescent self-regulation, especially in the face of external stressors, may be an important method to reduce risk-taking behaviors as adolescents transition to adulthood.     

Joseph J. Fischel: Screw Consent: Towards a Better Politics of Sexual Justice

Feminist Legal Studies -