Knowra Sexual exploitation Sexual exploitation Sexual exploitation is the abuse of a person for sexual purposes through coercion, manipulation, or unequal power. It can occur with or without physical force and may involve adults or children.
Coercive control : A pattern of acts that restricts another person’s autonomy through intimidation, isolation, surveillance, or other forms of control. Exploiters can use sustained control to constrain choices and make refusal unsafe.
Consent : Freely given, informed, and reversible agreement to an activity. Exploitation undermines meaningful agreement through coercion, manipulation, or unequal power.
Safeguarding : Policies and practices for preventing harm and protecting people at risk, especially in care, education, and community settings. Safeguarding systems set duties for recognizing risk and responding to suspected exploitation.
Post-traumatic stress disorder : A mental health condition that can develop after trauma and involve intrusive memories, avoidance, mood changes, and heightened arousal. Some survivors experience post-traumatic symptoms, though responses to exploitation vary.
Sexual harassment : Unwelcome sexual conduct that violates dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment. Harassment may be part of exploitation, but it does not always involve using someone for sexual purposes.
Grooming : A process of building trust or influence to facilitate abuse or exploitation, often by gradually normalizing boundary violations. Gradual boundary testing can make exploitation harder to recognize or resist.
Sexual violence : Sexual acts or conduct imposed without freely given consent, including force, coercion, or abuse of vulnerability. Sexual exploitation belongs to the broader landscape of sexual violence.
Trauma-informed care : An approach to services that recognizes trauma’s effects and prioritizes safety, trust, choice, and collaboration. It helps services respond without blaming or retraumatizing people who disclose exploitation.
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder : A condition associated with prolonged or repeated trauma, involving PTSD symptoms and difficulties with self-organization. Prolonged exploitation can involve repeated trauma and lasting effects on trust and self-concept.
Prostitution : The exchange of sexual services for money or other material benefit, a term whose legal and social meanings vary. The label alone does not establish whether an exchange involves coercion or exploitation.
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