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Legal Information: Rhode Island

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
November 30, 2023

What is the legal definition of sexual exploitation?

“Sexual exploitation” is defined as when anyone, regardless of his/her relationship to the child knowingly or willfully does –or attempts to do– any of the following:

  • encourages, helps, or coerces a minor child to commit a “commercial sex act” by recruiting, employing, enticing, soliciting, isolating, harboring, transporting, providing, persuading, obtaining, or maintaining the minor child;
  • encourages, helps, or coerces a minor child to do a “sexually explicit performance” by recruiting, employing, enticing, soliciting, isolating, harboring, transporting, providing, persuading, obtaining, or maintaining the minor child;
  • sells or purchases a minor for the purposes of “commercial sex acts” or encourages, helps, or coerces a minor child into doing so.1

A commercial sex act is defined as any sex act or sexually explicit performance in which anything of value is given, promised, or received, either directly or indirectly, by any person.2

A sexually explicit performance is defined as an act or show, intended to arouse, satisfy the sexual desires of, or appeal to the sexual interests of the viewer. The performance can be done publicly or privately and can be performed live or photographed, recorded, or videotaped.3

1 RI Gen Laws § 15-15-1(8)(i)
2 RI Gen Laws § 15-15-1(8)(i)(A)
3 RI Gen Laws § 15-15-1(8)(i)(B)