NCJ Number
77813
Date Published
1979
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews literature on juvenile prostitution and child pornography, describes child abuse programs and related legislation, and presents recommendations for new programs and research.
Abstract
Circumstances that often influence young women to view prostitution as a viable option include deprivation or physical and sexual abuse. One study found that 87 percent of a sample of 110 juvenile prostitutes were motivated to enter the field by a need for money. Another study of 30 female juvenile prostitutes demonstrated that 69 percent continued prostitution because of a desire for money, 19 percent because of entrapment or pimp control, 10 percent because of loneliness, and 2 percent because of drug addiction. Although research on juvenile male prostitutes is extremely limited, results resemble those from studies of young female prostitutes. Expert witnesses have indicated that the children who are recruited into pornography are children of adults who make their living as prostitutes, pimps, or producers of pornography; runaways; and children of destitute families which need the money for survival. At present, all 50 States and the U.S. territories have mandatory reporting laws that require the reporting of suspected cases of child maltreatment. Most available programs are directed towards all forms of child abuse, although few juvenile prostitutes feel comfortable in seeking help from traditional social agencies. The paper recommends that experimental, nontraditional programs for runaways be funded since many juvenile prostitutes are also runaways. Furthermore, an overall assessment of existing runaway care facilities is suggested. A 26-item annotated bibliography is included.