Measuring Child Sex Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

There is limited data in most developing countries on the level and scale of child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Often the unavoidable limitations in this research, as well as funding constraints, act as deterrents and reasons for not measuring prevalence of “hard-to-find” issues. To contribute to the body of knowledge, International Justice Mission, in partnership with Arizona State University and other academic institutions, has used an undercover data collection approach to estimate the prevalence of children (0-17 years old) trafficked for sex in targeted areas in the Philippines and Cambodia. This roundtable will describe the approach, provide high-level findings from studies conducted to date, identify strengths and challenges, and discuss approaches to refine the methodology.

Sub Unit

• Area VIII: Roundtables

Discussants

• Dave Shaw, International Justice Mission

• Charles Katz, Arizona State University

• Edward Maguire, American University

• Jeffrey Snipes, San Francisco State University