The book presents the results of a study that examined how youth become victims of individuals involved in the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). The study findings suggest that youth who are victims of CSEC and who do not possess normative social capital are less likely to seek help in order to leave the CSEC lifestyle compared to CSES-involved youth who have a high degree of social capital. The seven chapters of this book discuss the study and its findings. Chapter 1 explains the problem of CSEC and the methodology used in the study. Chapter 2 reviews the existing literature on the problem of CSEC. Chapter 3 examines in more detail the methodology of the study and the challenges faced by the research team in obtaining data. Chapter 4 provides estimates of the population of commercially sexually exploited youth in New York City as well as a description of the attributes of the CSEC network and those involved in it. Chapter 5 examines what factors are present in the lives of CSEC-involved youth that enable them to build normative social capital in their lives. Chapter 6 examines the hypothesis that the lack of alternatives for CSEC-involved youth constrains their choices and forces them to remain in the CSEC market in order to survive. Chapter 7 discusses the findings of the study in more detail. Tables, figures, appendixes, references, and index