A child is a victim of sexual exploitation when she/he takes part in a sexual activity in exchange for something (e.g., gain or benefit, or even the promise of such) from a third party, the perpetrator, or by the child her/himself. A child may be coerced into a situation of sexual exploitation through physical force or threats. However, she/he may also be persuaded to engage in such sexual activity as a result of more complex and nuanced factors, either human or situational, including a power imbalance between the victim and the perpetrator. While any child may be sexually exploited, children may also find themselves in a situation that makes them particularly vulnerable to such exploitation (e.g., poverty, abuse/neglect, unaccompanied/homeless). Furthermore, the age of a child may increase her/his vulnerability to sexual exploitation, with older children often mistakenly assumed to be either consenting to their own abuse or not in need of protection. “Exploitation” in this context is thus a key term, the meaning of which marks its difference from sexual violence and sexual abuse of children. The main distinction lies in the notion of exchange involved in exploitation, which is lacking from the concepts of abuse and/or violence.
Published in Chapter:
Socio-Religious and Cultural Discourse on Gender and Human Trafficking: Perspectives on Globalization in Nigeria
Nancy Alaribe (University of Uyo, Nigeria)
Copyright: © 2022
|Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-9282-3.ch013
Abstract
In recent years, scholars have noted that there are gender-specific vulnerabilities and risks faced by women throughout their livelihood trajectory, making them more susceptible to trafficking. A number of axioms have emerged that provide a generally accepted framework that women and girls are more disadvantaged because of their gender and social class. Due to gender discrimination and the undervaluation of low-skilled occupations, women are commonly concentrated in low-skilled and lowly paid jobs such as domestic work that are unregulated and informal with little or no legal protection. These conditions make women particularly vulnerable to gendered-specific exploitation, forced labor, extortion, debt bondage, and violence. This study examines the socio-religious and cultural discourse surrounding gender and human trafficking in Nigeria. The study reveals that even when human trafficking is not a new phenomenon, it has acquired a new dimension in the context of globalization and has been facilitated by increased mobility and the development of the internet and new technologies.