C.S.E.C.
Commercial sexual exploitation of children
PROFILE OF A SUBMERGED PHENOMENON
Yasmin Abo Loha
Fabio Nestola

Profile of the CSEO phenomenon
• Generic data – ECPAT research centre Italy
• Origin of crimes
• Supply chains
• Who is the victim
• Who is the offender
• Reference norm

DIFFUSION OF SEX TOURISM WITH CHILDREN
MAIN CAUSES
OBJECTIVE MOTIVATIONS
• Increase in number of private air companies, wide offer,
competition, generic decrease of tariffs
• boom of mass tourism, easy to reach far away destinations
• Connivance of some national governments, which will tolerate
the phenomenon to favour the arrival of precious currencies
• Strong interests of organized criminal organisations
• Corruptio of those who should monitor: judiciary authorities,
police, bureaucracy

DIFFUSION OF SEX TOURISM WITH CHILDREN
MAIN CAUSES
SUBJECTIVE MOTIVATIONS
• Not in your usual context, no social control, feeling of impunity,
shared transgression
• Scarce or no perception of committing a crime
• Discriminatory attitude, beyond racism “those are not like our
children”
• Wrong belief that sex with children eliminates risk of
contracting AIDS

Annual criminal business assesment
Trafficking, child prostitution, commerce in
child pronography 80/100.000.000.000 $
Nord America 31%
Europa 39%
Asia 12%
Africa 2%
Oceania 16%
WEB BUSINESS – FLUXES
Data show last traceable step, which
could not be the final destination: due
to the specifics of the web, it is
impossible to find out the nationality of
people operating through a foreign
server

CHILD PROSTITUTION SUPPLY CHAIN

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

VICTIM PROFILE
AGE GROUP
0 – 6* 10%
7 - 12 30%
13 - 17 60%
* Age roup 0-6 years is mainly used
for the production of images and
videos that are then inserted in the
child pornography industry
GENDER
M 25%
F 75%
COSTS
Inthe USA the average cost sexual
services with a child is 25-30$.
It goes from a minimum of 5$
(Philippines, Vietnam, Brasil) to a
maximum of 90-100$ (Taiwan)

TOURISM FLUXES
Departures
Europe Germany, Holland, UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy
Americas Stati Uniti, Canada, Brasile
Asia Cina, Giappone, Taiwan
Africa Repubblica Sudafricana
Oceania Australia
Main destinations
Asia
Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan,
Russia, Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia
America
Latina
Brasil, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela
Considerevole domanda interna, fino a quote del 50%. In particolare in Kenia il
38% dei clienti di minori sono locali, seguiti da: italiani 18%; tedeschi 14%;
svizzeri 12%; francesi 8%.

OFFENDER PROFILE
TYPOLOGY
Pedophile 5%
Customary tourist 30%
Occasional tourist 65%
AGE GROUP
from 18 to 30 24%
from 31 to 40 37%
from 41 to 50 20%
from 51 to 60 8%
Over 60 11%
INCOME GROUP
medio - basso 45%
medio - alto 50%
alto 5%

ALIBI
Most frequent
excuses of child
prostitution clients
It's a kid on sale, if I don't go with her, someone else will
I'm actually helpng her and her family, for me it's only a
few dollars, for them it's a fortune
I did not force h er, I did not hurt her, I did not stun her
with drugs or alcohol: she gave her consent
I am the victim, she roped me in
Non potevo sapere che fosse minorenne
It's a cultural thing, in their country it's normal
… and of child
pornography users
It is a voyeuristic perversion
I'm satisfied with masturbation, I have never touched a
child

NEW TRENDS
• In loco material
• Phenomenon progressivley moving
towards borders of EU
• Female offenders
Circumscribed fluxes UE + USA
Tourist differs in typology of requests
Age of victim ----> sexual orientation
Multiple partners -----> baby - partners

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Global Report on
TRAFFICKINGTRAFFICKINGTRAFFICKINGTRAFFICKING
ININININ
PERSONSPERSONSPERSONSPERSONS
2009

G. R. 2009 Trafficking in Persons

G. R. 2009 Trafficking in Persons

offender profile - CONCLUSIONS
- mainly males
- mainly heterosexual, percentages of homosex and bisex
higher than normal demographics
- quite young, average age is 30
- often have high education level, but no specific social classes
- he has some money even though he does not belong to the
highest income range
- recurrent strange fact: contact among equals. Find people
with which you may share your sexual preferences,
experiences, addresses and material

REFERENCE LAWS
L. 269/1998
L. 38/2006
L. 172/2012

COLLECTORS
collects, hoards and loves child pornography and
pedophilic pornography
CLOSED
COLLECTOR
ISOLATED
COLLECTOR
COTTAGE
COLLECTOR
Hides its “interest”
and has relations
with children. He is
aware of the
seriousness of his
actions.
Does not hide its
“interest” and
secretely abuses of
childre. He is
convinced to be
moved by love, only
after having
extorted consent
Induction
Exploits chldren,
not for profit but to
share experiences
with other
collectors. Justifies
its actioins
accusing the
system: it is unable
to protect children.

CIRCUITS
Production of images and videos for private use or commercial purposes
SINGLE TRANSIENT COMMERCIAL
An adult (rarely a
partner) forms
groups of children
or makes use of
preexistent
groups.
Multiple adults
involved
Children are “tested”
to assign them a role
in the prostitution
industry. It is the
most complex circuit
to identify.
Well structured business
activities. Its
organisational
components are:
produced material,
diffusion mechanisms,
suppliers, commercial
system, profit.

CSO Internet classification
TRADER TRAVELER
Exchanges or collects online
child pornography:
•Produces
•Distributes
•Possesses
Communicates online
with the child, he
manipulates him
psychologically to obtain
a direct encounter

Grooming
From the english verb “to
groom”= brush and clean the
coat of an horse, dog, or other
animals, clean the fur or skin
(itself or by another animal).
It is a behaviour observed
among many primates. This
practice seems to have an
important social value:
strengthens social structure
within a group or in unions
among animals.

= enticement
The potential abuser and/or exploiter applies
psychological manipulation techniques: attentions,
takes care - grooming – of the potential victim.
Objective: have total control of the child
This technique is particularly used on the internet,
when the offenders feel protected by anonymity:
gradual online conquest, for an offline control.