CSEC Toolkit Menu
Overview
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Toolkit serves to support the methodical gathering of information on CSEC by the general audience and, specifically, the development of CSEC 101 trainings by the Regional Training Academies, community colleges and other contractors.
Background
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) initiative, as outlined in ACL No. 14-62, aims to inform and train county child welfare workers and out-of-home caregivers regarding the amended Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 300.
The amended code clarified that commercially sexually exploited children fall within the purview of California’s Child Welfare system. To raise awareness and improve identification among the Child Welfare community on the issue of commercially sexually exploited children, CSEC 101 trainings will be provided by the Regional Training Academies, community colleges and other contractors statewide. CSEC 101 trainings will be standardized at the learning objective level; no formal CSEC 101 curriculum will be endorsed.
What is Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)?
CSEC refers to a range of crimes and activities involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of a child for the financial benefit of any person or in exchange for anything of value (including monetary and non-monetary benefits) given or received by any person. Note: CSEC is not legally defined by federal statute or case law. However, several federal criminal provisions can be applied to conduct that falls within this definition of CSEC, including 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, 2251, and 2423(c).
“Commercial sexual exploitation” refers to either of the following:
- The sexual trafficking of a child, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 236.1.
- The provision of food, shelter, or payment to a child in exchange for the performance of any sexual act described in this section or subdivision (c) of Section 236.1.
California's connection
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified 3 of 13 U.S. High-Intensity Child Prostitution areas in California: the San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas (Walker, 2013).
The average age of onset for commercial sexual exploitation is 11 to 13 for boys and 12 to 14 for girls. Alarmingly, the life expectancy of a child involved in commercial sexual exploitation is seven years from the first date of his/her exploitation with the leading causes of death being HIV/AIDs or homicide (Walker, 2013).
For a comprehensive review of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, please review the following materials: