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Child Prostitution FAQs Q. If teenagers are voluntarily engaging in prostitution to earn money, why do you call them victims of crime? Aren't they criminals themselves? A. Prostitution is illegal in most places in the United States and minors who take money for sex are usually taking part in that illegal activity; nevertheless they are also victims of crime. The majority of minors who become involved in prostitution are runaway or thrown away children from abusive or otherwise dysfunctional homes. They are often lured into prostitution by sophisticated criminals who convince them not only that they will earn money to survive but also that they will be taken care of and have the secure loving environment that they lacked at home. These promises are often honored only in the breach - pimps take the money a child earns on the streets and pimps engage in severe physical abuse to build a relationship of dependency. Q. I recently read a Newsweek article that said that middle class children are becoming involved in prostitution for pure financial gain. Is that true? A.A recent study by Richard Estes of the University of Pennsylvania indicated a trend that children from stable middle class homes are becoming involved in prostitution to earn money for luxury goods. The Newsweek article profiled a 17 year-old girl from Minnesota who was from a typical middle class home and had engaged in prostitution. At this time we cannot judge whether this behavior is a trend, but we can state that the majority of children who are victims of prostitution are not from stable homes. More information on: Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors More information on: Federal Efforts to Combat Interstate Sex Trafficking of Minors More information on: Trafficking and Sex Tourism More information on: Child Sex Tourism More information on: Trafficking and Sex Tourism FAQs U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division ° Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) 1400 New York Avenue, 6th Floor ° Washington, D.C. 20530 Legal Policies | Privacy Policy | Criminal Division Home Page | DOJ Home Page

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Updated November 6, 2007