Services Not Sentences: A Curriculum for Service Providers and Law Enforcement

Abstract

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a growing phenomenon and affects individuals locally and internationally. It is important to consider who are first responders to reports of sexual exploitation of children. Victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) often fall between the cracks as their first encounters tend to be with law enforcement, and they face possible criminal charges. In addition, service providers who encounter youth at risk of being or are being trafficked daily and are subject to inadequate training to recognize CSEC. To combat CSEC, this thesis develops a five-week educational curriculum for service providers and law enforcement. This curriculum consists of five weekly sessions including what CSEC is, who is at risk and how do we know, consequences of CSEC, looking at CSEC through McDonald’s Survival Sex Hierarchy and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Approach, and interventions utilized to treat this vulnerable population. This psychoeducational curriculum integrates group activities and discussion, emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed language and its approach towards CSEC.