Does our Existing Understanding of Risk And Vulnerability Extend to Males Identified for Concerns of CSE?

• In Event: Innovations in Human Trafficking Research—Part 1: Sex Trafficking and CSEC

Abstract

Objective: Advances have been made in our understanding of risk and vulnerability for sex trafficking. However, most existing research relies on data that are predominantly female, thus it remains unclear whether our existing knowledge extends to males.
Design: Using novel data of 983 youth who were referred to a child welfare organization for concerns of CSE victimization in the Northeast United States between 2015 and 2022, we apply network analyses to explore the ways in which different experiences co-occur to produce pathways to CSE victimization for both males (n = 80; 8.1%) and females (n = 903; 91.9%).
Findings: The results illustrate that historical adversities, running away, family issues, and proximal risks co-occur and produce pathways to CSE victimization for females that aligns with existing research. For males, the results illustrate a sparse network structure in which these factors do not co-occur and are not connected to CSE victimization.
Summary and Conclusions: Results of this study show that our understanding of risk and vulnerability likely does not translate to CSE victimization for males, which should signal to researchers and practitioners the importance stronger data collection on male victims of CSE and the need to adapt existing screening instruments and protocols.

Authors

• Matthew Kafafian, University of Nebraska Omaha

• Sarah Lockwood, University of South Florida

• Ieke de Vries, Leiden University

• Amy Farrell, Northeastern University