Five Take Turns on Night Watch... Severe Self-Harm from Sexual Exploitation Trauma [Sexual Exploitation, Out]

The Suffering Experienced by Adolescent Victims of Sexual Exploitation

Editor's NoteChild and adolescent prostitution is defined as sexual exploitation. This is because children and adolescents, whose sexual self-determination is not fully developed, cannot be regarded as subjects of sexual consent or contracts. Children and adolescents who quickly form intimate relationships online through social media, messengers, and anonymous platforms are now more easily drawn into sexual exploitation crimes than in the past. According to the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center of the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute, one out of four people (27.8%) who received support for digital sex crimes last year were teenagers. Compared to 2023, the number of teenage victims who received support from the center increased by more than 600 (a 3.3 percentage point increase). Crimes of sexual exploitation against children and adolescents are clear acts of sexual abuse. This article examines whether there are any ways to prevent such crimes and what specific measures are needed, based on actual cases.

"Most of the adolescents admitted here take medication for psychiatric treatment. The level of self-harm has also become more severe than before."

On April 17, I visited a support facility in Seoul that houses 10 children and adolescents who are victims of sexual exploitation. On the first floor, which has a kitchen and living room, there is the director's office, and right next to it is a bedroom with a bunk bed. This is where children and adolescents at high risk, such as those who engage in self-harm, stay. In one corner of the director's office, there is a sofa for the five care teachers who take turns on night duty every night to rest in case of emergencies. On the second floor, there are five more rooms with bunk beds. Although there were signs of age, the bedding on each bed looked clean, and next to the beds were several individual lockers with password locks. The adolescents carry out most daily activities themselves here. They wash their own clothes every afternoon in the laundry room, and relieve stress by singing or watching movies in the recreation area located in the basement.

Five Take Turns on Night Watch... Severe Self-Harm from Sexual Exploitation Trauma [Sexual Exploitation, Out]

A part of the space in a support facility for child and adolescent victims of sexual exploitation was recreated using artificial intelligence (AI). There was a bunk bed, and each personal locker required a password to open. DALL-E3

Kang Yoojeong, who works at this facility, said, "Many of the children have difficulty sleeping at night or struggle to endure depression and anger management issues," adding that she finds it tough whenever she encounters heartbreaking situations. She explained, "When children feel temporarily anxious, frustrated, or impulsive and want to resolve the situation, they tend to self-harm. It is not uncommon to have to call 119 emergency services, and in severe cases, they are hospitalized."

According to our investigation, the circumstances in which children and adolescents become involved in sexual exploitation crimes are generally similar (previous article: ①Children exposed to open chat rooms labeled 'underage'... The trap of one-on-one conversations). After meeting online, children and adolescents gradually become dependent on someone who listens to them and sometimes sends them pocket money or gifts such as coupons. The perpetrator initially asks for photos of eyes, fingers, or other body parts, then gradually demands full-body photos and eventually coerces them into sexual acts. Children and adolescents are led to mistakenly believe that they are being acknowledged and loved (previous article: ②"They said they'd buy me in-game items" - Victimized during gaming, even impersonating counseling agencies).

Kang said, "There was a middle school girl who was sexually abused by her stepfather. It was later confirmed that she had met a man through anonymous chat and filmed a video. Because she was a minor, we told her we had to report it, but she didn't want to, and it was very difficult to persuade her."

Kim Jisoo, who works at another support facility in Seoul, also said, "Grooming has become more sophisticated than before, so many adolescents perceive sexual exploitation as simply dating an adult man."

Even though they met online, children and adolescents who believe they are receiving emotional support from the perpetrator find it hard to escape, as they see the perpetrator as someone they love, even while being sexually exploited. Kim said, "It is extremely difficult to punish perpetrators, partly because the boundaries between prostitution, sexual exploitation, and sexual violence have become blurred. Because they have been groomed, adolescents often do not recognize that they are victims, and remain trapped in exploitative situations."

She added, "When children and adolescents come to support facilities with chronic trauma or symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder due to sexual exploitation, they often struggle to adapt to communal living. Perpetrators take advantage of this by luring them out of the facility, saying, 'Come stay with me,' and sometimes the adolescents leave without a word, making it difficult to provide support."

Lee Seonjeong, who works at a support institution in Daejeon, said, "In the past, poverty was a major cause of sexual exploitation crimes, but now perpetrators exploit various vulnerabilities of children and adolescents. Any child or adolescent who uses the internet can become a target of grooming crimes, and perpetrators approach all children and adolescents they encounter online as sexual objects."

An exterior view of one of the institutions where children and adolescents who are victims of sexual exploitation reside and receive support such as medical care, legal assistance, vocational training, and education was generated using artificial intelligence (AI). DALL-E3

She added, "Perpetrators exploit not only economic vulnerabilities but also emotional and psychological weaknesses, as well as deficiencies in the parent-child relationship. They further take advantage of how easy it is to communicate and form relationships online to commit these crimes."

She also said, "In a society where even saying 'sexy' to children and adolescents is considered a compliment, perpetrators skillfully exploit the desire of children and adolescents to receive attention online. Grooming has made sexual crimes even easier."

Care teachers who have lived with child and adolescent victims agreed that, whereas in the past the youth support system focused on preventing sexual exploitation crimes among runaway teens, now there is a need for proper preventive education for all children and adolescents. Lee pointed out, "There are as many teenage victims of sexual exploitation as there are in their twenties, but despite the seriousness, there are still no adequate solutions."

The names of care teachers at child and adolescent sexual exploitation victim support facilities interviewed for this article have been changed to protect the identities of the children and adolescents at these institutions.