"The lost children of New York City"---Population estimate, network attributes and the role of social capital in the commercial sexual exploitation of children in New York City
Item
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Title
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"The lost children of New York City"---Population estimate, network attributes and the role of social capital in the commercial sexual exploitation of children in New York City
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:f2ea43bf325a:10089
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identifier
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10214
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Creator
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Dank, Meredith,
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Contributor
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Richard Curtis
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Criminology | child sexual exploitation | juveniles | prostitution | sex crimes | victimization
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Abstract
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The number of youth that are commercially sexually exploited in the United States is unknown. Additionally, the characteristics that make up the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) population, as well as the CSEC market, are widely disputed among researchers, child advocates, and professionals in the field. Past research has relied on police arrest records and used interviews with a limited, purposive sample to generate a prevalence rate and describe the characteristics and needs of the CSEC population. As a result, the findings from these studies do not provide a full picture of the issue. In order to gain a better understanding of the CSEC population in New York City, this dissertation employed the Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) method to recruit and interview a sample of 249 eligible teenagers. RDS is a sampling strategy that is dependent on a number of assumptions concerning the social networks that are sampled, but it has been successfully used in a wide variety of research studies to recruit hard-to-reach populations. Based on the RDS data collected, a prevalence rate was generated, in addition to an explanation of the attributes of the CSEC networks and its members. Social capital theories were used to explain how youth become involved in the CSEC market and why it is difficult for them to leave it. The findings from this study suggest that youth who possess social capital before entering the market, and are able to maintain it, are more likely to seek help from individuals who possess higher levels of normative social capital, which can ultimately lead to their leaving the CSEC lifestyle. Those youth who do not have pre-existing normative social capital are more constrained by their choices and the alternatives available to them. They feel more compelled to remain in the market in order to survive. Based on the richness of the data collected and resultant findings, this research will add value to the extant body of knowledge, inform policy, and bring much needed attention to this issue.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Criminal Justice
