pros·ti·tu·tion
noun \ˌpräs-tə-ˈtü-shən, -ˈtyü-\
While the existence of prostitution has been acknowledged as an age-old problem, little is known about the recent explosion of juvenile prostitution and its abuse and exploitation of youth in the United States.
Each year thousands of children run away from home, are forced out of their homes, or are simply abducted by their parents or guardians. The National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children 2 (NISMART-2), conducted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), estimates that in 1999 more than 1,680,000 children had runaway or thrownaway episodes.
Some of these children leave home to escape physical or sexual abuse or neglect. Unfortunately, many end up on the streets. Without legitimate means of support and a safe place to stay, they are often victimized again through pornography sexual exploitation, and drugs.
For information about the prostitution of children
For more information about the FBI’s Innocence Lost National
