Pathways to Prostitution
Women often enter street prostitution as minors. Many are recruited into prostitution by force, fraud or coercion. Some women need money to support themselves and their children; others need money to support their drug habits.
Abuse is a common theme in the lives of prostitutes — many were abused as children, either physically or sexually or both. Many street prostitutes are running away from an abusive situation.
Even when street prostitutes try to leave the streets, they often return to prostitution because their limited education and lack of skills make finding employment very difficult. Without a means to support themselves and their children, they may think staying on the streets is less risky than leaving prostitution. [1]
Work Cited
[1] Michael Scott and Kelly Dedel, Street Prostitution, 2nd Edition (pdf, 90 pages), Office of Community Oriented Policing, November 2006, NCJ 216620.
