Sexual Exploitation
Sexual exploitation involves using control, coercion, deception, or power imbalance to cause a person to engage in sexual activity for another’s benefit, whether financial, social, or personal.
This information is not legal advice – it is meant to signpost information only. Please seek a professional opinion before taking action.
Legal definition
Pre-2003 (before the Sexual Offences Act 2003)
Before the Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force, UK law did not recognise sexual exploitation or trafficking as standalone offences. Conduct amounting to sexual exploitation was addressed indirectly, through a combination of existing criminal offences and emerging human-rights principles. Prosecutions relied on offences then in force, principally under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, alongside relevant common law offences such as assault, indecent assault, conspiracy, false imprisonment, or kidnapping, depending on the facts. While these offences criminalised aspects of coercive or abusive sexual conduct, they did not capture sexual exploitation as a distinct or unified legal concept.
2003–2015 (Sexual Offences Act 2003 era)
From 1 May 2004, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced a modernised framework for sexual offending and, for the first time, expressly criminalised trafficking for sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation was defined for trafficking purposes as causing or inciting a person to engage in prostitution or in sexual activity that would constitute a sexual offence under the Act. During this period, sexual exploitation became an explicit legal concept, though still framed primarily through sexual offences and trafficking provisions limited to sexual exploitation. Trafficking offences committed during this period remain chargeable under the 2003 Act.
Post-2015 (Modern Slavery Act 2015)
From 31 July 2015, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 consolidated and expanded the law by introducing a single, comprehensive offence of human trafficking and a broader statutory definition of exploitation, including sexual exploitation. Under this framework, sexual exploitation is understood as causing or securing sexual activity through force, threats, deception, coercion, or abuse of vulnerability, with consent rendered legally irrelevant where real choice is absent. The Act also introduced formal victim-identification, safeguarding, and notification duties, reflecting a shift toward a victim-centred and rights-based approach.
What it looks like in real life
A person being pressured or manipulated into sexual activity within a relationship, workplace, or living arrangement
Sexual abuse linked to power, status, money, housing, immigration control, or dependency
Someone being groomed over time and then sexually exploited once trust or reliance is established
Sexual activity demanded in exchange for protection, accommodation, work, favours, or opportunities
Abuse occurring in private homes, hotels, workplaces, vehicles, or institutional settings
Sexual exploitation continuing even when the victim appears compliant or emotionally attached
