Daily HealthBeat Tip

Girls and the sex trade

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

At 17, Rachel Lloyd was a prostitute. She broke free, eventually graduated college, and now directs a program in New York that helps girls and young women facing sexual exploitation and violence.

Lloyd says girls, often in their early teens, are trapped -- by adults.

"We have a real issue of child abuse. This is rape. These aren't johns and tricks. These are child predators. These are rapists. These are molesters. These are pedophiles. You can't be 12 and have a john. How does that make sense?" (12 seconds)

Lloyd spoke at a human trafficking and sexual exploitation conference supported by HHS' Administration for Children and Families.

Could you spot a human trafficking victim? There are signs when people don't control their lives. Ask, for instance, if locks where they live keep them from getting out.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October 3, 2006

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