Abstract
Research shows that homeless youth are uniquely vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). But what are young adult perspectives on definitions and pathways of CSE? We analyze focus group data from participatory research with a homeless youth-serving agency. Participants were a ethnically diverse sample/ethnically diverse sample of twenty four female-identifying young adults (ages 18–23) receiving services. Some perceptions of the participants were consistent with previously documented pathways into CSE. But, important novel themes emerged, including: sexual exploitation as a continuum of sexually explicit interactions (i.e. stripping, fetish, survival sex, trafficking); ever-present conversations and decision-making about CSE in homeless youth and young adult culture; and the paradoxical issue that service-seeking around homelessness and overt identification of CSE victims can target them for greater victimization.
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Thanks to the staff and participants at YouthLink who supported the development and facilitation of this work, staff at The Family Partnership and the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center of the University of Minnesota who provided additional support in the creation and interpretation of meaning.
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Fogel, K.F., Martin, L., Nelson, B. et al. “We’re Automatically Sex in Men’s Eyes, We’re Nothing But Sex…”: Homeless Young Adult Perceptions of Sexual Exploitation. Journ Child Adol Trauma 10, 151–160 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-016-0094-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-016-0094-z