The Lost Boys and Invisible Pimps of Underage Prostitution →
“The researchers surprised themselves and others by strongly disproving the mythologized child prostitute trope: a tween girl whose every move is dictated by a malicious pimp. Instead, this new data paints a different picture starting with gender. Actually 45 percent of kids who sell sex for money are boys. The average age these younger sex workers start working is not a prepubescent eleven or twelve but fifteen, and only 10 percent were involved with a pimp or madam. Finally, almost all of the youths, 95 percent of them, said they sold sex for money because it was the most stable and sure way to support themselves. The study asserts that the total number of teen sex workers in New York is 3,946.
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Additionally, I can’t help but think about how sexism is strengthened by the myth of the pimped little girl. Of course it’s the girl as victim—and of course, as with all accounts of sexism, both genders are hurt. The male sex workers are overlooked by nonprofits intent on rescuing girls and their stories get pushed farther and farther under the rug so that do-gooders can pat themselves on the back for their hard work.”
Please read this.
