Teenage Prostitution
Teenage Prostitution “I had been sleeping on a park bench for three nights…. The fourth night…I met a man named Troy, who was really good to me at first…. Little did I know that my problems were about to begin” (Flowers 108). Prostitution can be a dangerous and scarce lifestyle for many teenage girls, but exists within the United States. These girls grow up very quickly and their innocence may be shattered through this profession, but many lack the knowledge of the true meaning behind prostitution. Teenage girls who prostitute in America are living very dangerous lifestyles through this profession and face detrimental experiences in their young lives.
A Prostitute is one who involves herself in sexual activity for pay (Webster 518). There are many aspects to prostitution including the prostitutes themselves, the pimps, and the johns. The pimps are generally men who get customers for their prostitutes as a means of making money for themselves ( Flowers 121). The Johns are the people who pay a prostitute for sexual activity. These men are the prostitute’s customers, and the men who provide the money for the pimps and prostitutes. (Flowers 125).
The exact number of teenage prostitutes is never clear, however, it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 teenagers in the United States, who are exposed to prostitution (Vincent). For teenage girls in America the average age to begin prostituting is by the age of fourteen years old. It is estimated that at least one fifth of all the prostitutes on the streets are teenage girls. As many as ninety percent of these girls were charmed and pressured into selling sexual favors by a pimp. Another twenty percent of these girls were runaways, becoming prostitutes through their association with other street children and teenage prostitutes. In most cases, these young girls are recruiting for their pimps (Flowers, 108-109)
There are many teenage girls in prostitution, but one of the most frequently asked questions is:
A Prostitute is one who involves herself in sexual activity for pay (Webster 518). There are many aspects to prostitution including the prostitutes themselves, the pimps, and the johns. The pimps are generally men who get customers for their prostitutes as a means of making money for themselves ( Flowers 121). The Johns are the people who pay a prostitute for sexual activity. These men are the prostitute’s customers, and the men who provide the money for the pimps and prostitutes. (Flowers 125).
The exact number of teenage prostitutes is never clear, however, it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 teenagers in the United States, who are exposed to prostitution (Vincent). For teenage girls in America the average age to begin prostituting is by the age of fourteen years old. It is estimated that at least one fifth of all the prostitutes on the streets are teenage girls. As many as ninety percent of these girls were charmed and pressured into selling sexual favors by a pimp. Another twenty percent of these girls were runaways, becoming prostitutes through their association with other street children and teenage prostitutes. In most cases, these young girls are recruiting for their pimps (Flowers, 108-109)
There are many teenage girls in prostitution, but one of the most frequently asked questions is:
Cited: Flowers, Barri. Runaway Kids and Teenage Prostitution. Connecticut: Praeger. 2001. Print. Kristof Nicholas. “Girls on our Streets: [Op-Ed].” New York Times. 7 May 2009, Late Edition (East Coast). Banking Information Source, Proquest. Web. 5 April 2010. “Prostitute.” Webster’s New World Dictionary. New York. 1999. 518. Print. Pulkkinen, Levi. "Child Prostitution out of Shadows in Seattle. " Seattlepi.com 13 Jan. 2010, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 5 Apr. 2010 Vincent, Karen. “Teenage Prostitution- A serious Issue in the United States.” Ezine Articles. Ezine Articles, n.d. Web. 7 April 2010.