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“There is simply no reliable means of determining the number of children who are victimsof commercial sexual exploitation in the world today.” 5The reasons for the lack of reliable statistics vary. For example, a common methodologyof estimating the number of exploited children has not been developed and definitions ofwhat constitutes exploitation are not universal. 6 In the case of child pornography, the childmay not even be aware of his or her own exploitation, and the crime may go unreported. 7Other forms of exploitation may go unreported due to sociological factors in the child’scommunity or family.In some regions, such as Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, the only evidenceof CSEC is anecdotal. Until very recently, there has been no serious attempt to addressthe issue in these areas and very little research has been conducted. In the regions whereinvestigations have taken place, the data collected is not disaggregated adequately enoughto present a true picture. 8 This appears to be the case with trafficking research in particular.Reports seldom distinguish between persons who have been trafficked for sexual purposesand those who have been trafficked for economic or other purposes. Further, these reportsseldom distinguish between trafficking in women and trafficking in children; those that dorarely distinguish between a child of 10 and a child of 17, or between a female child anda male child.It is far easier to estimate the number of sexually exploited children in a specific country,but even that is not without difficulties. In many cases, the lack of resources, both humanand financial, mean that sample sizes tend to be too small to provide any accuracy. Theremay be a wide variance in the numbers reported by different sources, often reflecting thevested interests of the source rather than the true nature of commercial sexual exploitation.For example, government sources may underestimate numbers, or completely deny theproblem exists, in order to protect their international reputation. 9 Some journalistic reportsmay tend to overestimate numbers in an effort to sensationalise the problem. 10Research on child prostitution tends to focus on its most visible forms, and whereinformation is most easily accessible, such as prostitution in the lower class brothels orthe streets and other public areas, such as around bus stations or in parks. This researchdoes not provide an accurate analysis of the nature or the extent of child prostitution.A great deal of the exploitation is clandestine. It occurs through contacts in nightclubsor bars, or through high-end escort services, where the abuse takes place in privatelyrented apartments. Information about this form of exploitation is more difficult to access.Furthermore, since CSEC is an illegal activity, researchers attempting to collect data havebeen harassed, intimidated or threatened verbally or physically. 116|Private Sector Accountability in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children