Miguel Mendoza
Dr. Mc Fadden
ENGWR 302
July 22, 2014
Sex and Violence Essay Lost Children The experience of a child growing up is meant to be exciting and fun. It is a time when children experience and learn about themselves and their morals by simply being a kids and having fun. To have one’s childhood forcefully taken away from them is inhumane, and unfortunately sexual, physical, and mental child abuse has always existed. Thorn is a technology task force made up of twenty technology companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter that lend their knowledge, time and resources to fight the sexual exploitation of children. According to Thorn, the exact number of child abuse victims is difficult to identify due to illicit nature of this activity, but it is estimated that there are 100,000 to 300,000 children at risk of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States and one million children exploited by the global commercial sex trade each year. Given these figures there are three questions that come to mind: Why does child sexual exploitation occur?; What are the consequences of sexual exploitation on the victims?; What can be done to stop it? According to NSPCC child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a, “…form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18 into sexual activity in exchange for things such as money, gifts, accommodation, affection or status.”
A direct link has been observed between poverty and sexual exploitation. During a time of extreme poverty or as a result of natural disasters children tend to be placed in situations where they may be forced into agreeable or forced prostitution. Other reports suggest that children are forced into prostitution because the abuser gets satisfaction out of being in control of someone and proving their social and economic status. In a documentary titled, “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan” award-winning Afghan journalist Jajibullah Quriaishi investigates the horrific illegal practice called Bacha Bazi. Bacha Bazi, which translates into “boy play”, is when young Afghan boys are sold to warlords and powerful businessmen to be trained as dancers. These boys perform for male audiences in women’s clothing, and are then used and traded for sex. Sadly the wealthy and powerful men who exploit these young boys are often married with young kids of their own. The wealth and power that these men posses keep them connected to other high-powered officials, which in turn helps protect them from being prosecuted. One man that controls a major boy play ring is even provided with bodyguards by the officials themselves. Many of the Bacha Bazi boys are young, live in extreme poverty, and are lured off the streets with the promise of a new life free of hardship. Some families sell their young boys as young as age 11. The knowledge of financially helping out their family makes this torturous work worth it for however long it may last. Quriaishi interviewed some of the boys, all of whom feared for their lives. The boys understood that if they did not agree with any demand given to them by their owners, they would no doubt be severely punished by being beaten, raped, or killed. One boy is chained up as part of his regular, everyday experience and is only released by his owner to perform for groups of men. That same boy later mentions that he hopes to one day be able to own his own stable of dancers. He would “…keep boys for himself and also be useful for his friends.” To believe that any of the boys truly want to be owned by a wealthy powerful man is wrong. These boys are so afraid for their lives that they have no choice but to follow orders. However, if they willfully choose this situation it is likely the result of being influenced by the only socialization force they know. If the boys believe sexual exploitation and abuse is normal it is because this is the only lifestyle they know. If the boys make it out of this awful experience alive, the mental, sexual, and psychological trauma they live with will likely cause sexual problems later in life. These will be the least of their problems.
The website “Intelligencer” mentions a case of a 21 year old martial arts instructor named Christopher Horton who was sentenced to 90 years in federal prison for sexually abusing three students, ages 6 and 10. Horton used his cell phone to record the children performing sexual acts. Adding to the already disturbing recordings, Horton narrates detailed instructions about how to sexually abuse children. All of these acts of abuse occurred in a karate studio, right next to other adults. Sadly the only reason officials became involved is because Christopher’s mother found disturbing pictures on his cell phone and immediately reported it to the FBI.
In 2013 Khou.com posted a case in which 42-year-old Tad Costin from Pearland, Texas sexually abused at least 15 girls, ranging in age from four to seven. While living with his girlfriend and five-year-old son, Costin would spend time with other neighborhood children and would even throw kids parties in his backyard. Detectives ceased 16 computer hard drives and 80 DVDs containing child pornography. Prosecutors later said that the videos show Costin had been abusing children for many years, possibly dating back as far as 1990. Many neighbors reported that they never saw anything suspicious that gave them any reason to be worried. Police learned about Costin from his girlfriend’s parents who found a SIM card he left at their home. Costin’s bail was set at $4 million with an additional $1 million for each count of aggravated sexual assault discovered once other victims decided to press charges. George Herbert Mead is an American philosopher and social theorist known for his theory of the social self. Mead believed that we are not born with the knowledge or understanding of whom we are as individuals, but rather that this knowledge is developed and learned through social interaction. When we are born, we are merely entities is in need of food, nurture, shelter, and knowledge of life itself. We are not aware of the roles we play, the roles and expectations that other people play in our lives, or the world itself. This is why according to Mead social interaction is essential for us to get to know the self. The sense of self begins at the same time a child begins to learn language. Learning language coincides with knowledge of other people’s thoughts, actions, reaction, and feelings, along with those of the child. It is the time when a child learns to communicate, express and show that they understand the existence of others. Now imagine that during this very important part of a child’s life he or she is forcefully caught in a sexual exploitation situation. The never-ending torturous aftermath of consequences that child will endure for the rest of his or her life is unimaginable. The American Humane Association is the nation’s voice for the protection of children and animals. According to this organization, “The effects of sexual abuse extend far beyond childhood. Sexual abuse robs children of their childhood and creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and self-abusive behavior. It can lead to antisocial behavior, depression, identity confusion, loss of self-esteem and other serious emotional problems. It can also lead to difficulty with intimate relationships later in life.” Sexual abuse and exploitation also causes kids to run away from home and turn to drug abuse and prostitution. Treatment and recovery providers report that 60 to 90 percent of child victims of prostitution were victims of child sexual abuse prior to being victimized through prostitution. Clearly negative events and interactions in our lives have an effect on us. Child abuse may also be the reason why people become sexual predators. Child sexual exploitation is an issue that has evolved over the years. By 1990 the problem was thought to have almost disappeared. Unfortunately, children are being abused and exploited at younger and younger ages. In reality the people who violently exploit children are members of our community, and it is impossible for law enforcement to deal with the issue alone. More partners are needed to increase the chances of successfully crushing this horrible epidemic. Publicly announcing awareness would be a great start in solving this problem. Training students of all ages, public health clinic employees, parents, and law enforcement officials to identify sexual exploitation is needed in order to stop it. The U.S. government should try to partner with foreign governments to figure out ways of stopping international and local sex exploitation and trafficking. Agencies should be available at any time in order to help victims with emotional and physical recovery, and deal with legal issues the victims may have. As a nation that believes in life improvement, we all need to make a stand and fight against this heartbreaking phenomenon. Lend your support by giving love to these heartbroken children who only wanted a hug from the start.

Works Cited
Aboulafia, Mitchell. "George Herbert Mead." Stanford University. Stanford University, 13 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 July 2014.

"About Us." Thorn. N.p., 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.

"Child Sexual Abuse." Child Sexual Abuse. N.p., 2013. Web. 23 July 2014.

"Child Sexual Exploitation – Introduction | NSPCC." Child Sexual Exploitation – Introduction | NSPCC. NSPCC, July 2013. Web. 22 July 2014.

Horansky, Andrew. "$4M Bond Set for Pearland Man Charged in Horrific Child Sex Abuse Cases." KHOU Khou.com. N.p., 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 July 2014.

Horrell, Steve. "Abuse Cases Ripe with Frustrations." The Edwardsville Intelligencer. N.p., 23 July 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.

"In The News - The Dancing Boys Of Afghanistan | Editors' Notes | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. PBS, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 23 July 2014.

The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction: A Report to Congress. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2010. Web. 23 July 2014.