NCJ Number
242435
Date Published
July 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) Center for Girls and Young Women (the Center) presents information on the sexual victimization of girls in commercial sex markets in the United States, and it outlines an agenda for addressing it.
Abstract
Girls, many as young as 11-13 years old, are victimized in commercial sex markets that consist of pornography, stripping, escort services, and prostitution. Girls are forced into the sex trade and subjected to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. The Center is concerned about the failures of U.S. law enforcement agencies and child protective services to identify and protect these girls. It proposes a seven-pronged strategy for addressing this type of victimization of girls. First, determine the extent of the problem and identify who and where the girls are. This requires a commitment to and funding for relevant research, investigation, and outreach. Second, a girl-led think tank should be formed. Participants should be girls who have been victims in the commercial sex market, as well as experts from various disciplines and cultures. The think tank should foster innovative and pragmatic thinking about how to prevent and intervene in countering the victimization of girls in the commercial sex market. Third, a "blueprint" for action should be developed based on the recommendations of the think tank. It would include the prioritization of immediate and long-term needs as well as recommendations for services, programs, policies, and processes. Fourth, legislation should be enacted to address the void in the continuum of services, with attention to access to and eligibility for services, as well as the decriminalization of girls' behavior after being forced into prostitution. The remaining three prongs of the strategy involve the development of a specialized training curriculum, education for at-risk girls, and a public information and advocacy campaign.