I've been calling out the men and women who participated sexually in this human trafficking ring as statutory rapists for years. People refuse to give it a proper name: a for profit organization using young victims (both boys & girls), for their own personal gratification via rape.

to abuse and exploitation.

As long as it is with a partner between the age of 14-17.

Going from memory (I was an LMFT and mandated reporter in CA until 2012), California law is somewhat convoluted on minor consent:

So, minors under 14 cannot consent to sexual activity with minors 14 and older.

Minors 14-17 can consent to sexual activity with partners in the same age range.

Minors 16-17 can consent to sexual activity with adults aged 18-21 (although technically illegal, the CA attorney general-Kamala Harris at the time IIRC, issued guidance saying such contact was not reportable as long as it was clear the minor gave consent- saved me from having to report situations where an 18 year old high school senior was having sex with his 11th grade girlfriend).

In addition, there is a separate criminal code for sexual contact with a minor by an adult with a greater than ten year age difference.

And just to nitpick on the clinical side, pedophilia technically refers to adults who are aroused by and/or seek sexual contact with prepubescent minors, not teens.

Adult sexual contact with teens is more accurately described as sexual abuse of a minor or, as mentioned in the OP, statutory rape.

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