Subjugated innocence: Domestic child sexual exploitation in Canada

In this comprehensive literature review, the author examines child sexual exploitation from a Canadian perspective. The focus was on understanding what Canada’s definition of human trafficking is, how Canada views the exploitation aspect and how that has translated into Canadian legislation. Victims of domestic child exploitation are almost always girls between the ages of 13-17 and most commonly Caucasian. This profile could be skewed by the clandestine nature of this crime and that what is known about victims is based only on police-reported data. Risk factors highlight that those who are most vulnerable are girls, Indigenous, runaway or throwaway youth and LGBTQ+. This literature review highlighted that there is a lack of understanding of how male youth, as well as Indigenous youth, are trafficked. It also highlighted that more is needed to be learned about the various forms of child sexual exploitation. The second half of this literature review was investigative, in that it aimed to learn more about prevention and intervention programming, including how they work and apply knowledge to create effective and holistic programming. It then concludes with overviews of some noteworthy programs that assist Alberta victims specifically.