Minimize the Harm

Children who have been victims of sexual exploitation and abuse often experience a range of intense and adverse emotions, including depression, anxiety, fear, and shame. Indeed, to date more than 40 teenagers in the United States have died by suicide as a direct result of having been victims of financially motivated sextortion. Parents and caregivers, school-based professionals, youth sports coaches, religious leaders, leaders in youth serving organizations, and others in positions of trust and responsibility have a critical role to play in helping ensure that child victims receive the support and care that they need and deserve.

It is critical that adults provide a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach to engaging with child victims. To do so, adults should be mindful of the following:

• Child victims are victims, not wrongdoers. They should not be blamed, shamed, or ridiculed. Online environments are difficult to navigate, and offenders are skilled in hiding their identities.
• Be empathetic and non-judgmental. Child victims may be enduring intense feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear, among other things. They need and deserve a compassionate, thoughtful response that honors all of that.
• Have local and national resources—including local law enforcement and local mental health providers—at the ready.
• As appropriate, promise, and deliver, ongoing support to the child victim.
• Be aware, when talking to groups of children or families, that some in the audience may have experienced such victimization. Ensure that presentations and outreach are delivered in ways that anticipate as much and do not inadvertently add to the child’s suffering.
• Encourage children to tell a trusted adult if they have been victimized and convey to children that help is available. There are resources to help get images removed from online platforms, help children get connected with proper counseling, and otherwise provide support for child victims.

Adults should also be aware of, and on the lookout for, signs that a child may have been victimized, including:

• Unusual requests for money or engaging in unusual financial transactions, especially through online payment providers
• Sudden mood or behavior changes
• Becoming unusually or intensely upset when they cannot get online
• Deep secrecy with respect to online activities
• Signs of self-harm