09/10/01: US Kids in Sex Trade

[Freakapotimus]

Hundreds of Thousands of U.S. Children in Sex Trade
By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As many as 400,000 U.S. children are victims of the sex trade each year, from juvenile pornography and street prostitution to selling sex at school, a study released on Monday said.

``Child sexual exploitation is the most hidden form of child abuse in the U.S. and North America today. It is the nation's least recognized epidemic,'' said Richard Estes, a University of Pennsylvania professor of social work and co-author of the report on the sexual exploitation of children.

Based on field research and surveys from 288 federal and local agencies, the study estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 children in America were victims of sexual exploitation each year. The report also looked at the child sex trade in Mexico and Canada but those results have not yet been released.

``That figure just blew our minds. We never at the beginning of the study thought we would encounter so many children in this predicament,'' Estes told Reuters.

Estes and his team visited 17 U.S. cities over two years, meeting with federal and local law enforcement agencies, human services departments and hundreds of children both living at home and on the streets.

Contrary to popular belief, as many boys as girls were affected, but Estes said boys got less attention both from law enforcement and social services because of the view that they could look after themselves.

``Every place we went, we found for every girl there was a boy involved too. People feel a need to protect girls and for boys it's thought of as sowing their oats,'' said Estes, adding some boys graduated from their years of sexual servitude to becoming pimps.

SURVIVAL SEX ON THE STREETS

The largest groups of children affected were runaway, ''throwaway'' and homeless youths, many of whom used ``survival sex'' to acquire food, shelter, clothing and other things needed to eke out a living on America's streets, Estes said.

``Like other groups of sexually exploited persons, street children are exposed to violence, drug abuse, rape and, sometimes, even murder at the hands of the pimps, 'customers' and traffickers that make up their world.''

Estes said some children sold themselves for sex to high school students while living at home and used the money to buy more expensive clothes and other consumer goods.

Many of these children lived in secure middle-class homes and few parents were aware of what was going on. This group also included American youths who crossed into Canada or Mexico in search of cheaper drugs, alcohol and sex, Estes said.

The sexual exploitation of children affected all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, although children from poorer families appeared to be at a higher risk.

Estes said a disproportionate number of street youths had histories of recurrent physical or sexual abuse at home and took to the streets in a bid to stop this.

``It is ironic that running away from home increases their risk of physical violence and sexual abuse,'' he said.

Sexual predators also came from all parts of society and included relatives and other adults known and trusted by the children.

Despite popular notions to the contrary, Estes said strangers committed fewer than 4 percent of all the sexual assaults against children.

[KaneOfNod]

Would the libertarians say this is freedom, and therefore ok, or that it is depraved and should not be allowed? I favor the latter.

[wdfcverfgtghm]

At 9/10/01 06:03 PM, KaneOfNod wrote: Would the libertarians say this is freedom, and therefore ok, or that it is depraved and should not be allowed? I favor the latter.

The libertarians would NEVER stand for this! They Would NEVER EVER stand for children being molested, abused, used for profit, and manipulated unless they were foreginers!

Vote Liberal (we care about people! Conservatives eat babies!)