How can sexual exploitation occur through the internet?
Sexual exploitation can occur through the internet in various ways, including:
1. Online grooming: Predators may use social media, chat rooms, or other online platforms to establish relationships with children or vulnerable individuals and gradually manipulate or coerce them into engaging in sexual activities.
2. Sextortion: Perpetrators may obtain sexually explicit photos or videos of individuals through various means (e.g., hacking, phishing, false relationships), and then use these materials to blackmail or manipulate the victims into further sexual exploitation.
3. Online trafficking: Traffickers may use the internet to advertise and sell individuals for sexual exploitation, often through online classified websites or social media platforms.
4. Child ography: The production, distribution, and consumption of child sexual abuse materials can occur through the internet, with perpetrators exchanging images and videos of child sexual abuse online.
5. Live streaming abuse: Perpetrators may use live streaming technology to broadcast instances of sexual abuse or exploitation in real-time, often to paying clients or viewers.
6. Online prostitution: Individuals may be coerced or forced into engaging in commercial sexual activities through online platforms, with traffickers or exploiters arranging and facilitating these transactions through the internet.