What Is Sexual Abuse?

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Sex trafficking is driven by demand, which is shaped by norms around gender, power, and sex.

Online sexual exploitation is a reflection of offline culture.

Consistent, caring relationships are protective factors against trafficking.

Co-authored by Asia Eaton, Ph.D., and Andrea Powell

Sex trafficking is one of the most severe violations of human rights, yet it remains widely misunderstood. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (2000) defines sex trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts. Yet, despite this clear definition, misapplications and misconceptions persist. For example, survivors are routinely criminalized instead of protected. Meanwhile, public awareness campaigns about trafficking often portray images of strangers in unmarked vans, but the reality is far more ordinary and pervasive. Trafficking occurs in foster homes, on social media platforms, in schools, and within intimate relationships. It is embedded in the social fabric of communities across the United States and around the world. Psychological science can help explain why, and what must change.

4 Insights From Psychology

1. Trafficking is about supply and demand.

Traffickers exploit people because buyers create a market. Demand for sexual exploitation is cultivated by a cultural context that normalizes the objectification of women and children, and tolerates gendered violence (Gervais & Eagen, 2017). Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) helps explain how these norms are transmitted: Boys who witness or are rewarded for dominance and girls who are socialized to be compliant and self-silencing are being prepared to participate in systems of exploitation. Research on deterrence and harm reduction consistently shows that addressing the demand side of exploitation is more effective than criminalizing those who are trafficked (Farley et al., 2017).

2. Adverse childhood experiences create vulnerability.

Traffickers are not random in their targeting. They actively seek out victims who are already isolated, neglected, or have experienced prior abuse. Research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) shows that early trauma, like sexual abuse, household dysfunction, and foster care involvement, is related to later victimization (Felitti et al., 1998). Children who have been failed by the systems designed to protect them are the most likely to be exploited.

The pathways from child welfare involvement to trafficking are well-documented. Children who lack stable housing, consistent adult relationships, and a sense of........

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