What is sexual exploitation in the context of child abuse?

• A. Conduct related to pornography depicting minors and promoting prostitution by minors.
• B. Nonsexual exploitation
• C. Nudity in films
• D. Age-appropriate sexual education

Answer: (D)

Sexual exploitation means using a child for sexual purposes or involving a minor in sexual content for the benefit or gain of others. This includes producing, possessing, or distributing pornography with minors and coercing or promoting prostitution by minors. In LAUSD policies, these acts are clear forms of abuse that must be reported. Age-appropriate sexual education, by contrast, aims to inform children about sexual health in a developmentally suitable way and is not exploitation. Nonsexual exploitation involves harm that doesn’t center on sexual activity, and nudity in films isn’t, by itself, sexual exploitation unless a minor is involved in sexual content. So the scenario that involves pornography with minors and minor prostitution best reflects sexual exploitation in this context.