Tackling Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Brazil as Edgework: How Service Providers Work With Young People and Against Structures

East Tower 

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a critical issue in Brazil, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as girls, Black and LGBT+ children, and those in care or experiencing homelessness. CSEC, which refers to the sexual exploitation of children for financial gain, is widely recognized as a violation of human rights and is deeply influenced by the intersection of race, social class, and gender structures.

Our study focuses on Recife, in the Pernambuco region, where historical inequalities dating back to colonization exacerbate the risks of CSEC, and where structural factors, such as education, economic opportunities, and embedded cultural norms, intertwine with CSEC. Brazil's extreme wealth inequality further complicates efforts to address CSEC, as political forces often serve to preserve the status quo. Through interviews with professionals working to combat CSEC in Northeast Brazil, we explore how service providers experience "edgework," highlighting the challenges these individuals face, including self-sacrifice and other issues that occur when confronting what is a deeply entrenched and structural issue.