Child Prostitution

Children who become involved in prostitution were usually sexually abused as children. Entry into prostitution can be a passive acceptance of a social reality - thus the child believes prostitution is what is expected of him/her. Children are victimized by child prostitution. It is not easy on either the male or female child. Boys, however, are often forced to deal with their sexual identity as well as their sexual exploitation and victimisation.

Child prostitutes typically range in ages 11 to 17. Generally speaking, if a child is 10 years of age or younger and involved in prostitution, the parents are usually involved in the sexual exploitation of the child. Though this is not always te case. I myself was first sold at the age of 3, my parents were not invovled in this and knew nothing of what was going on for several years.

Unlike with adult prostitutes who are often addicted to drugs, and where the pimp often uses this addiction to ive them power over the victim, most pimps who control child prostitution will not want the child using drugs because then the drug becomes the pimp. A pimp does not want his prostitutes spending "his" money on drugs. While most child prostitutes are not addicted to drugs, many use a variety of drugs and alcohol to numb their feelings.

Today, International Relief Organizations suggest there are 300,000 children working as prostitutes in the U.S. and 5,000 prostitutes under the age of 18 in the UK, according to charity "ave the children".