Cybersex trafficking
Cybersex trafficking, live streaming sexual abuse,[1][2][3] webcam sex tourism/abuse[4] or ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies)-facilitated sexual exploitation[5] is a cybercrime involving sex trafficking and the live streaming of coerced[6][7] sexual acts and/or rape on webcam.[8][9][10]
Cybersex trafficking is distinct from other sex crimes.[8] Victims are transported by traffickers to 'cybersex dens',[11][12][13] which are locations with webcams[14][9][15] and internet-connected devices with live streaming software. There, victims are forced to perform sexual acts[7] on themselves or other people[16] in sexual slavery[7][17] or raped by the traffickers or assisting assaulters in live videos. Victims are frequently ordered to watch the paying live distant consumers or purchasers on shared screens and follow their commands.[10][18][19] It is often a commercialized,[20] cyber form of forced prostitution.[7][21] Women,[22][23][24] children, and people in poverty are particularly vulnerable[10][15][25] to coerced internet sex. The computer-mediated communication images produced during the crime are a type of rape pornography[26] or child pornography[27][28][29] that is filmed and broadcast in real time and can be recorded.[30]
There is no data about the magnitude of cybersex trafficking in the world.[31][32][33] The technology to detect all incidents of the live streaming crime has not been developed yet.[34] Millions of reports of cybersex trafficking are sent to authorities annually.[35] It is a billion-dollar, illicit industry[28] that was brought on with the Digital Age[9][25] and is connected to globalization. It has surged from the world-wide expansion of telecommunications and global proliferation of the internet[10] and smartphones,[36][37][38] particularly in developing countries. It has also been facilitated by the use of software, encrypted communication systems,[39] and network technologies[40] that are constantly evolving,[20] as well as the growth of international online payment systems with wire transfer services[36][32][41] and cryptocurrencies that hide the transactor's identities.[42][43]
The transnational nature and global scale of cybersex trafficking necessitate a united response by the nations, corporations, and organizations of the world to reduce incidents of the crime;[16] protect, rescue, and rehabilitate victims; and arrest and prosecute the perpetrators. Some governments have initiated advocacy and media campaigns that focus on awareness of the crime. They have also implemented training seminars held to teach law enforcement, prosecutors, and other authorities, as well as NGO workers, to combat the crime and provide trauma-informed aftercare service.[44] New legislation combating cybersex trafficking is needed in the twenty-first century.[45][38]
Terminology[edit]
Cyber-, as a combining form, is defined as 'connected with electronic communication networks, especially the internet.'[46] Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery.[47] Victims of cybersex trafficking are trafficked or transported to 'cybersex dens,' which are rooms or locations with a webcam.[14] The cybercrime also involves the transporting or streaming of images of the victims' bodies and sexual assaults in real time through a computer with a webcam to other computers connected to the internet.[8][6][10] It thus occurs partly in the physical or real world, as the sexual assault is real,[48] and partly in cyberspace.[49]
Victims[edit]
Victims, predominantly women[50][51][18] and children,[22] are abducted,[7] threatened, or deceived.[10][18] Others are drugged.[52] They are held captive and locked up[18] in rooms with covered or no windows and a webcam.[10] They experience physical and psychological trauma.[10][28][44] Gang rape has occurred on webcam.[17][53] Some are coerced into incest.[31] Victims have been denied food,[17] deprived of sleep,[18] and been forced to perform when sick.[6] They have contracted diseases, including tuberculosis, while in captivity.[6] A number are assaulted[6][18] or tortured.[29][54]
Victims can be exploited in any location where the cybersex traffickers have a computer, tablet, or phone with internet connection.[9] These locations, commonly referred to as 'cybersex dens,'[11][12][13] can be in homes, hotels, offices, internet cafes, and other businesses, making them extremely difficult or impossible for law enforcement to identify.[10] The number of cybersex trafficking victims is unknown.[31][32] Some victims are simultaneously forced into prostitution in a brothel or other location.[55]
Rescues involving live streaming commercial sexual exploitation of children by parents often require a separation of the minors from the families and new lives for them in a shelter.[44]
Some victims are not physically transported and held captive, but rather victims of online sextortion. They are threatened,[56] webcam blackmailed,[57] or bullied to film themselves committing online sexual acts.[58] Victims have been coerced to self-penetrate, in what has been called 'rape at a distance.'[57] Others are deceived, including by phony romantic partners who are really rape or child pornography distributors, to film themselves masturbating.[59] The videos are live streamed to purchasers or recorded for later sale.[30]
Those who are of a lower class, discriminate race, minority, or other social disadvantages are at an increased risk of being victimized.[40] The cybersex trafficking and or non-consensual dissemination of sexual content involving women and girls, often involving threats, have been referred to as "digital gender violence" or 'online gender-based violence.'[60]
Victims, despite being coerced, continue to be criminalized and prosecuted in certain jurisdictions.[40]
Perpetrators[edit]
Traffickers[edit]
Perpetrators who transport victims to locations with webcams and live streaming software. They or assisting assaulters then commit and film sex crimes to produce real time rape pornography or child pornography materials that may or may not be recorded. Male and female[41][61][62] perpetrators, operating behind a virtual barrier and often with anonymity, come from countries throughout the world[32][36][28] and from every social and economic class. Some traffickers and assaulters have been the victim's family members, friends, and acquaintances.[10][15][28] Traffickers can be part of or aided by international criminal organizations, local gangs, or small crime rings or just be one person.[10] They operate clandestinely and sometimes lack coordinated structures that can be eradicated by authorities.[10] The encrypted nature of modern technology makes it difficult to track perpetrators.[32] Some are motivated by sexual gratification.[29] Traffickers advertise children on the internet to obtain purchasers.[33] Funds acquired by cybersex traffickers can be laundered.[39]
Overseas predators seek out and pay for live streaming or made-to-order services[36] that sexually exploit children.[9][15][31] They engage in threats to gain the trust of local traffickers, often the victims' parents or neighbors, before the abuse takes place.[44]
Consumers[edit]
The online audience who are often from another country, may issue commands to the victims or rapists and pay for the services. The majority of purchasers or consumers are men,[54][28] as women who engage in cybersex prefer personal consensual cybersex in chat rooms or direct messaging.[63]
There is a strong correlation between viewing/purchasing child cybersex materials and actually sexually abusing children; cybersex materials can motivate cybersex consumers to move from the virtual world to committing sex crimes in person.[64]
Non-governmental organizations[edit]
The International Justice Mission is one of the world's leading nonprofit organizations that carries out anti-cybersex trafficking initiatives.[25][15][10] End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT)[10][43] and the Peace and Integrity of Creation-Integrated Development Center Inc., a non-profit organization in the Philippine, support law enforcement operations against cybersex trafficking.[96]
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the United States assists authorities in cybersex trafficking cases.[104] It provides CyberTipline reports to law enforcement agencies.[105]
Terre des hommes is an international non-profit that combats the live streaming sexual abuse of children.[36][28]
The Korea Future Initiative is a London-based organization that obtains evidence and publicizes violations of human rights, including the cybersex trafficking of North Korean women and girls in China.[51]