This project focuses on the issues of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors. Its ambition is to contribute to : - Improving the investigative work of the police forces on this issue, but also the actions of support for victims - carried out by the actors in charge of their protection and social reintegration - and prevention carried out with the perpetrators; - Building greater confidence in the professional and human relations between these two aspects (investigation and support for victims and perpetrators) of the fight against trafficking and the sexual exploitation of human beings, by helping to develop new communication and training tools for professionals in the field, as well as new approaches in terms of the representation of this phenomenon, its victims and perpetrators. This project will give an important place to little-studied research topics: typology of the various sexual exploitations from the point of view of the victim and the perpetrator (pimping in all its meanings and organized crime groups), in-depth analysis of the criminal dimensions of the phenomenon (profile of victims, perpetrators, identification of the existence of networks, modus operandi implemented, etc.), and a study of the impact of the phenomenon on the victims and perpetrators.) and the response of specialised social and security services; the effectiveness of investigative methods through the psychological support of investigators, the role of the dark-net and the web in general as facilitators of criminal activities and the analysis of financial flows related to these activities. Investigative work will be carried out upstream, at the crossroads of various disciplines rarely mobilised together on this theme (psychology, sociology, political science, criminology, data science, computer science, artificial intelligence, etc.). It will provide an exhaustive overview of the various forms of sexual exploitation of minors and adults, their level of criminalisation, the profiles of the victims and perpetrators of these practices and the State's responses to these phenomena (through a comparison of actions carried out in several key countries of the European Union). The countries of origin (particularly in the East of the European Union), transit (Central Europe, migration routes) and destination (France, Germany, the Netherlands) of the victims will be privileged in our study and the composition of the research consortium. - Based on this preliminary overview, the main objective will be to propose ways of improving investigation techniques and victim care (with a particular focus on the recruitment techniques of networks according to their vulnerability history, especially based on testimonies) and on the authors. - It will also be a question of delivering a complete criminological, psychological, legal, sociological and political study of this phenomenon: recruitment, places and vectors of exploitation, profiles and routes of victims and perpetrators, criminal resources, financing, modus operandi (in particular via the use of the Internet), etc. Finally, this project integrates a fundamental technological dimension with the setting up of an integrated investigation tool consisting of an exchange platform for police and justice forces, actors in social protection and victim follow-up (associations, specialized educators), laboratories and teams of specialized researchers. This IT platform will serve as a knowledge base for research and investigation, which can be consulted and amended by all the players. It will be fed via a dedicated and secure communication tool, which will also aim to improve trust and cooperation between the various actors involved in the above-mentioned investigation and protection.

Sexual violence against minors is a serious phenomenon, constantly on the increase, and France and Europe have made the fight against these crimes a priority as part of their overall security policy (Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament of 13/12/2011). Police officers generally work in a profession with a high potential for trauma and psychological distress. This is a population with a suicide rate 36% higher than the general population (Senate report 2019). Some specialised police officers and scientific experts from the national forensic science service are on the front line in the daily fight against offences related to sexual violence against minors, which generate specific secondary traumatic stress. Few studies have been carried out on the subject, particularly in France where, to our knowledge, no research has been done on this topic. The STEPS project is innovative in this sense. It aims to evaluate, in the context of their professional activity, the impact of the exposure of specialised police officers and their scientific experts to secondary traumatic stress generated by these criminal acts, and to highlight the factors favouring resilience processes. The aim of the research is to develop a support methodology for accompanying psychologists as well as for managers, in order to detect and effectively strengthen the professional capacities of specialised police forces. This research, resulting from a previous collaboration, integrates a strong partnership between university researchers, police psychologists, specialised police officers and experts from the National Forensic Service.