Risk Factors for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents: Results of an International Delphi Panel

Commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (CSECA) is a worldwide problem. The need to improve current detection and intervention protocols motivated this analysis, which aimed to use expert opinion to identify indicators (symptoms, conduct, or behaviors) that may help to predict the risk of suffering CSECA and to detect those who are suffering from it, as well as the type of detection tools and protocols that should be used.

An international multidisciplinary group of experts in CSECA was invited to take part in this study. A two-round digital Delphi panel was undertaken with 22 experts. An ad hoc questionnaire was created, which included 41 questions about CSECA risk factors and interventions that should be considered during detection.

The main indicators identified included normalization of dynamics of sexual exchange within the family, family history of sexual exploitation, and sexually transmitted infections. Predictive characteristics included economic extortion, lack of documentation, and family estrangement. Additionally, 95.5% of participants agreed that multiple victimizations in childhood should be considered for CSECA detection.

This study provides information that may be very useful in the development/improvement of instruments for CSECA detection. With this approach we hope to promote the creation of tools adapted to the Spanish cultural context.