Knowra Child sexual exploitation Child sexual exploitation Child sexual exploitation is the abuse of a person under 18 for sexual purposes, involving coercion, manipulation, exchange, or commercial activity. A child cannot consent to being exploited.
Grooming : A process of building trust or influence to prepare someone for abuse or exploitation. Exploiters may use staged trust and boundary violations to gain access and control.
Child : A person below the age of majority, commonly defined in international law as under 18. International child-protection standards generally define anyone under 18 as a child.
Safeguarding : Policies and actions that protect people, especially children, from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Safeguarding systems aim to prevent exploitation and act when warning signs arise.
Child pornography : A widely rejected term historically used for sexual images of children; child sexual abuse material is the preferred term. The term can wrongly imply consensual adult pornography rather than recorded abuse and exploitation.
Post-traumatic stress disorder : A mental disorder that can develop after exposure to traumatic events, with symptoms such as intrusive memories and avoidance. Some survivors develop PTSD, though exploitation does not produce the same outcome for everyone.
Coercion : The use of force, threats, intimidation, or pressure to make someone act against their will. Threats and pressure can secure a child's compliance or silence without meaningful consent.
Child consent : A child's expressed agreement, which does not make exploitative sexual activity lawful or erase adult responsibility. Apparent agreement cannot validate exploitation or shift responsibility to the child.
Child protection : Measures by authorities and communities to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children. Child-protection services assess risk and coordinate safety, care, and investigations.
Child sexual abuse material : Images or recordings depicting the sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child. This term emphasizes that the material records abuse, including when no sale occurs.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder : A trauma-related disorder associated with prolonged or repeated trauma, involving PTSD symptoms and difficulties with self-organization. Prolonged exploitation can be one source of repeated trauma linked to complex symptoms.
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