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Youth Prostitution

Prostitution is engaging in sexual relations in return for money or other material goods. Prostitution is not a problem just in the United States; it is a profitable industry all over the world. In fact, in some parts of the world, prostitution is legal at certain ages and can be glorified as a profession. In America, many adolescent prostitutes are youth who have run away from homes where they have experienced sexual or physical abuse and/or neglect (Savin-Williams, 1994; Widom & Kuhns, 1996). However, the problem of teenage prostitution cannot be blamed entirely on the family, as these youth often experience difficulty in school and with peers as well.

Adolescents may not be aware that there are services to help escape the difficult home, school, or peer environments, or these services are inadequate, inaccessible, or nonexistent. Young people may seek to find legitimate employment upon leaving home, but a lack of education can lead to low-paying jobs, or jobs may not be available that will support their basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Often, these young people search through dumpsters for food or turn to begging to make ends meet. When these methods fail to provide the resources that young people need, they may turn to prostitution in order to make money to survive.

Male and Female Teenage Prostitutes

Although when picturing prostitutes, people often think of females, there are also many male prostitutes on the street. Young men often find it more difficult than young women to find someone who will take them in after they leave home, so they are left susceptible to beatings, theft, and other dangers of the street. There is little written about young male prostitutes, and what is written is often focused on the sexual orientation of these young men. Many male prostitutes (although by no means all) are gay or bisexual (Savinwilliams, 1994), and they often enter into prostitution after leaving home because of harassment, assault, or sexual abuse from family or peers. The promise of money, food, protection, and shelter, as well as attention and friendship from their pimps (men who get clients for prostitutes) or madams (women who run houses of prostitution and get clients for prostitutes) often tempt young people into prostitution and help keep them there.

Young prostitutes, both male and female, are in demand by customers because there is a mistaken belief that the younger prostitutes are “cleaner” (i.e., do not have sexually transmitted diseases), and thus, the client will not catch anything from the young person. The exact number of young prostitutes on the street is difficult to measure precisely, as there are debates regarding what constitutes prostitution (e.g., whether to include adolescents involved in child pornography). In addition, there is no consistency in defining what ages are considered, and the information on gender inclusion is often absent. It is estimated that approximately 300,000 youth in the United States are engaged in prostitution (Children of the Night, 2004).

Pathways to Prostitution

Resistance to prostitution is often broken by forced sex. Many teenage prostitutes are victims of forced sex prior to or soon after becoming prostitutes (Savin-Williams, 1994). The young person is then approached by a paying client, and he or she finds it difficult to resist offers of food, shelter, drugs, and attention. Often, customers will offer attention and companionship, giving the young person a sense of affection and being cared for (Savin-Williams, 1994). One's first sexual experience as a teenage prostitute can be confusing, involving feelings of shame and guilt for having performed sexual acts in exchange for money, and yet the teen may also feel relief over having earned often desperately needed money. For street children, prostitution becomes a survival strategy.

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