NCJ Number
178640
Date Published
1998
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This book considers the causes of teen prostitution, the quality of life for teen prostitutes, and programs to help troubled children and teens as well as teen prostitutes.
Abstract
Most teen prostitutes are never arrested, which is why the published crime statistics do not provide an accurate estimate of the number of teen prostitutes. Although it is impossible to be sure of the exact numbers of teens involved in the hidden life of prostitution, researchers agree that hundreds of thousands of teenagers in the United States are currently involved in prostitution. Teen girls and boys who are prostitutes almost never say that they planned to enter prostitution. Most of them became prostitutes out of desperation, because they saw no other way of surviving. Almost all runaway teens have grown up in a troubled family, where they have experienced various types of abuse from family members, including physical and emotional neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. From exploitation and abuse in their homes they attempt to escape to the "streets," where they continue to experience abuse and exploitation from pimps, "johns," pornographers, and others. Life as a teen prostitute is not only emotionally abusive, it may also be physically dangerous. Their clients are strangers, and prostitution requires that they be alone with them. Many have been raped and infected with HIV. Programs to help troubled children and teens in general encompass family intervention programs, substance abuse programs, and shelters for runaways. Programs specifically designed to help teen prostitutes typically provide shelter, counseling, and referral services designed to help youth develop the emotional resources, knowledge, and skills required to become economically dependent in a more safe and satisfying lifestyle. Chapter notes, a list of organizations to contact, 40 suggested readings, and a subject index