National appeal: regions must prioritize children subjected to sexual exploitation for compensation

9 out of 10 municipalities fail to identify children subjected to sexual exploitation in exchange for compensation – ChildX is now sending a national call to action, together with methodological materials, to all of Sweden’s regions.

Nearly one in ten girls aged 15–19 has been subjected to sexual exploitation in exchange for compensation (ChildX 2023). At the same time, 92% of Sweden’s municipalities state that they identify a child who has been subjected to this less often than once a year (SOU 2023:97). The alarming gap between victimization and detection must be closed. Today, ChildX’s proven methodological materials are being sent to all 21 regions in the country—supported by a national call to action demanding that this issue be prioritized.

Sweden’s regions have been allocated additional government grants specifically to strengthen healthcare for children and adults who have been subjected to sexual violence. However, the dark figure of children subjected to sexual abuse where the perpetrator uses some form of compensation as a means of power is enormous, and far too few children are reached by society’s safety net.

To support the regions in reversing this trend, ChildX is now sending its methodological materials to every region across Sweden. The aim is to provide adults with the right tools to identify more children who are being exploited and to quickly refer them to the right support.

“The figures speak for themselves: children subjected to sexual exploitation in exchange for compensation are a group that society misses time and again. The figures show a huge gap between how many are exploited and how few are detected. Now that the regions have been provided with dedicated resources to strengthen support for victims of violence, we—together with hundreds of professionals—demand that these children finally be given the priority they deserve,” says Mathilda Hofling, ChildX.

In 2026, ChildX will review how the regions use the additional government grant to prioritize this particularly vulnerable group: children who are sexually exploited in exchange for compensation.

Together with nearly 700 dedicated individuals and professionals who work with children, ChildX has created a national call to action that sends a clear signal from the profession: we must act together. Now.

The call to action demands that Sweden’s regions prioritize:

• Access to specialized, long-term, trauma-informed support for children subjected to sexual exploitation in exchange for compensation.
• Specialized expertise in the form of regional coordinators with a specific focus on children subjected to human trafficking and sexual exploitation in exchange for compensation.
• Knowledge and methods for all adults who work with children in their professional role, so that they can identify exploited children and refer them to the right support.
• Effective collaboration, both regionally and locally, between public services and civil society working to identify and support these children.

The methodological materials have been developed by the ChildX foundation within the project Identify More, funded by the Swedish Inheritance Fund 2023–2026. Methodological materials, including film and student materials, are available to download free of charge at: childx.se/identifieraflera

For more information, interviews, or press images, please contact

Phone: 079-102 45 88
Email: sofia.zackrisson@childx.se
Website: childx.se

References

1. ChildX Sifo survey 2023
2. SOU 2023:97