atlanta_women_05_girls_0109

Females who engaged in “survival sex” were five times more likely to be sexually exploited. Survival sex refersto the selling of sex to meet subsistence needs. It includes the exchange of sex for shelter, food, drugs, or money(Green, Ennett & Ringwalt, 1999). A national study of shelter youth and street youth found that approximately10% of shelter youth and 28% of street youth reported engaging in survival sex (Green et al., 1999). In addition,the odds of engaging in survival sex were increased for youth who had been victimized, participated in criminalbehaviors, attempted suicide, had an STD or had been pregnant. Survival sex was also associated with substanceuse and lifetime injection drug use.This little blond, blue eyed, pigtailed girl came to Atlanta fromNebraska. This girl explained that she had followed the rap artistshere because they did not have rappers in Nebraska. She toldme, “I wasn’t prostituting. I was just going to bachelor’s parties. I’dtake my clothes off. I’d get paid for that, but I got to stay with allthe rappers.”Alesia Adams, Project Director, CEASEOne girl, a tiny Asian-appearing child, took a bus all the way toAtlanta from Michigan. She was picked up shoplifting atPerimeter Mall.Nikki Marr, former DeKalb Juvenile Court JudgePsychological and Emotional DifficultiesGirls who have experienced psychological and emotional difficulties, whether due to family issues or otherprecipitating factors, are at greater risk of being sexually exploited commercially (Klain, 1999). They oftenhave difficulty in school and experience social isolation from peers not engaged in delinquent behavior.Modes of Entrance:How Girls Become Victims of Commercial Sexual ExploitationIt is a misconception that girls are willing participants in their own exploitation. Juveniles lack the knowledge,maturity, and awareness to understand the consequences of their actions and in making such choices (Boxill &Richardson, 2005). An overwhelming majority of prostituted girls have pimps (Klain, 1999). Girls are almostalways recruited into prostitution. In some cases, girls are kidnapped and detained for days and even months.They are even abducted by someone they know and then sold to pimps against their will. FBI debriefings ofsex traffickers or pimps indicate that approximately twenty to forty percent of the victims forced or recruitedinto prostitution were juveniles.517