Cyber Sex Abuse and Human Trafficking: Understanding the Nexus
Melissa Kaiser, LBSW & Lindsay Lieberman, Esq. | September 20 | 11:15 am-12:15 pm
Topic: Direct Service, Legal | Knowledge Level: Beginner
In recent years, the digital landscape has provided perpetrators with new tools and avenues to exploit vulnerable individuals for sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Cybersex abuse encompasses a wide range of activities, including online grooming, non-consensual sharing of intimate images (“revenge porn”), and sextortion. These crimes often serve as a precursor to sex trafficking, creating a dangerous overlap that demands urgent attention. The legal system is unable to keep pace with the rapidly evolving nature of technology and the sophistication of cybercriminal tactics. This presentation will educate participants about cyber sexual abuse and sex trafficking and examine the intricate connections between them. Presenters will explore the grooming process and recruitment tactics used by traffickers, address the challenges in the legal systems that prevent victims from getting justice, and offer proposed next steps on how to address these issues.
Presentation Objectives:
• Educate participants about cyber sexual abuse and trafficking by examining the connections, emphasizing the grooming and recruitment tactics trafficker use
• Examine obstacles that prevent victims of trafficking and cyber abuse from getting justice, including biases, legal barriers, and particular dynamics of this abuse
• Explore how to address these issues and effectuate change to ensure victims receive wrap-around services and the justice they deserve