Lost Boys New research demolishes the stereotype of the underage sex worker—and sparks an outbreak

[xchrom]

http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-11-02/news/lost-boys/

Lost Boys
New research demolishes the stereotype of the underage sex worker—and sparks an outbreak of denial among child-sex-trafficking alarmists nationwide

The first night Ric Curtis and Meredith Dank went looking for child prostitutes in the Bronx back in the summer of 2006, they arrived at Hunts Point with the windows of Curtis’s peeling Oldsmobile, circa 1992, rolled down.

Curtis, who chairs the anthropology department at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, had done research on the neighborhood’s junkies and was well acquainted with its reputation for prostitution (immortalized in several HBO documentaries). If the borough had a centralized stroll for hookers, he figured Hunts Point would be it.

But after spending several hours sweating in the muggy August air, the professor and his PhD student decided to head home. They’d found a grand total of three hookers. Only two were underage, and all three were skittish about climbing into a car with two strangers and a tape recorder.

Dispirited though they might have been, the researchers had no intention of throwing in the towel. They were determined to achieve their goal: to conduct a census of New York City’s child sex workers.

[xchrom]

1. i guess i'm surprised there are no comments.

the article is long -- but good.

[closeupready]

2. The language in the first paragraph gives me the creeps.

It seems clear that the author seeks to minimize the harms that prostitution have upon communities and those who prostitute themselves.

Separately, I think the first question that should be asked of anyone who supports prostitution is, would you support if your daughter or son came to you and said they wanted to prostitute themselves (no joke)? And if not, why not? And why is it okay for other people's children to prostitute themselves but not your own children?

[dsc]

5. I wouldn't want them to be trash collectors or in the army either

but I am glad that someone is collecting trash and that someone is in the army.

[closeupready]

9. Big money in trash - Waste Management is Fortune 500. I don't share your antipathy to the army.

Are you really glad that someone is prostituting themselves? I'm sorry, I don't think you really have a good counterpoint.

On edit, I forgot to add that sanitation workers are union. At least, here in New York they are.

[xchrom]

10. Don't put words in the posters mouth.

He didn't say he was glad. It's a way to financially support themselves & it comes w/ issues.

Like a lot of work.

[closeupready]

12. I don' tsupport prostitution, so maybe in the interests of forum harmony, I should

bow out of this thread. And I don't dislike either of you, so don't take it personally. I just feel strongly about this.

[dsc]

13. I don't think prostitution is a good thing

but I don't think it should be illegal (for adults both johns and prostitutes). I think making it illegal makes it much more likely to have children involved.

[closeupready]

14. This must be one of those issues which, as you age, you turn into your folks, lol.

Because when I was younger, I used to think like that, as well; I really did - I was all in favor of legalization of all 'victimless' crimes.

I can't say that I changed my views after any kind of one cathartic event, but as I've seen people die of drug abuse or as I've read about how sex slavery can exist below the libertarian surface of, say, Amsterdam, I've decided that in theory, things should work one way, but in reality, they work in other ways, some of them very arbitrary and unfairly, but harmfully to society and individuals. Those two areas (drugs and prostitution) are such areas, in my humble opinion. I understand that others can have differing opinions, and I respect your right to disagree with me. :)

Peace.

[xchrom]

15. see that was one of the things the research found -- the sex slavery for underage

sex workers wasn't there.

not to the degree that we are led to believe.

[closeupready]

16. Then it's worthwhile to post that, and I thank you. :-) And also, the topic of

sex slavery reminds me of a report I saw on Al-Jazeera - I think I will post it in GD.

Thanks, xchrom. :)

[William769]

3. I haven't responded for the simple fact after reading it, I feel like I'm "lost".

[xchrom]

4. it's a lot to digest.

but better to deal w/ things as they are rather than as we want them to be?

if 'pimps' aren't all that we've been told{re: under age sex workers} -- then we need to know, i guess.

i found it interesting how difficult it was to make contact.

[William769]

6. After thinking about the article for awhile

It seems to me that money is being misspent. We should not be spending money on the study itself, that money would be better used at stopping the cause.

[xchrom]

7. Yes - but that's part of the point of the article.

It uncovers the fact that many under age sex workers are independent.

Many are boys - who aren't ever taken into account.

The hype ( & money) tends to go after a thing that isn't there.

Or at least not 'there' the way we've been told.

[William769]

8. Oy vey, I must be having a bad day.

What you said is what I meant. I have had trouble all day for some reason sounding coherent sorry.

[xchrom]

11. It's all good. Nt

[hedgehog]

17. If you aren't going to arrest the prostitutes, and there aren't many pimps out there,

then the focus goes back on to the customer - who I would guess is a "respectable" white male. Given that half the prostitutes are underage males, you have the complicating factor of societal homophobia to deal with. Obviously, there are a lot of straight males engaging in sex with underage girls, but the gay community is still fighting to end the myth that every gay is out to seduce teenagers.

[ThomCat]

18. I would be a little sceptical of this.

Just because it comes from the village voice.

They own "the Back Page," a site that has been under attack for being one of the major places where people advertise for sex hookups with professionals. People have been trying to shut down the Back Page because supposedly people us it to find underage prostitutes. The village voice has refused to take any actions to filter or remove ads because of they would lose revenue.

The Back Page apparently represents a large percentage of income for the Village Voice, so the village voice haw been trying for a while now to kill the whole idea that underage sex workers even exists as a defense of their business.

The NY times recently had an article talking about a new approach the police are taking, targeting those who hire prostitutes and their pimps instead of the prostitutes. They quotes several prostitutes, who they mentioned were underage and had been arrested up to 87 times and released without the police ever figuring out that they were underage and needed help instead of prosecution. So the new approach is supposed to target the real criminals, and offer help to the kids.

It seems odd that the police and the NY times seem to think that there are a hell of a lot more underage prostitutes out there than the village voice does. What are the chances that financial self interest isn't a big part of that difference of opinion?

[xchrom]

19. i knew that there was a dust up between the village voice and the police -- but the research --

isn't part of that dust up -- especially the work done in atlanta.

but other wise point taken.