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Sexualized And Dangerous Relationships: Listening To The Voices Of Low-Income African American Girls Placed At Risk For Sexual Exploitation, Ann Cale Kruger, Erin Harper, Patricia Harris, Deshelle Sanders, Kerry Levin, Joel Meyers

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

Introduction: Youth from low-income, urban backgrounds face significant challenges to maintaining a positive developmental trajectory. Dangerous neighborhoods and stressed relationships are common in these settings and threaten adaptation by weakening the natural assets that undergird resilience. African American girls in these contexts face specific, multiple risks, including gender stereotyping, violence, and sexual exploitation. The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a multibillion-dollar industry victimizing over 1 million children around the globe.1 The typical victim in 1 city in the southeastern United States is an African American girl 12-14 years old. There has been little research investigating the characteristics of …