Prostitution
DeFeis 1
Drew DeFeis
Professor Hartmann
English 151-03
30 March 2013
Legalizing Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession Prostitution is an activity as old as humanity, and for many it is a subject that invokes feelings of disgust, revulsion, and pure evil. These feelings are most prominent when young people become involved in such a life style. This report will analyze the types of children who are susceptible, and resort to prostitution. This paper will also analyze how one starts out in prostitution, the lifestyles that they lead, the social-psychological effects, and treatment. Every year approximately 200,000 to 400,000 teenagers (boys and girls) become occupational prostitutes (Johnson 14). Other estimates are equally varied. According to Patricia Hersch,125,000 to 200,000 juveniles turn to prostitution each year. These drastic differences illustrate just how difficult the problem of counting teenage prostitutes are, and how little is actually known about them. In many cities where violence is wide spread, and murders are committed every day, catching prostitutes or their customers is a low priority for police, even where there are strict laws prohibiting the act. Experts do agree that the problem is growing, especially in major cities (14-15). In her book, Smith (5), claim that ninety-five percent of young prostitutes are victims of violent physical abuse. (5) Eighty-five percent are victims of incest. Ninety percent are victims of sexual abuse by someone outside the immediate family, and only two percent have families with two natural parents. These statistics may not come to our surprise when we consider the type of youth that are susceptible to a life of prostitution. Children who are susceptible in becoming teenage prostitutes were born when their parents lived together. Before long, and most often before they reach the age of five, well over seventy percent
DeFeis 2 of all children who become prostitutes watched their
Drew DeFeis
Professor Hartmann
English 151-03
30 March 2013
Legalizing Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession Prostitution is an activity as old as humanity, and for many it is a subject that invokes feelings of disgust, revulsion, and pure evil. These feelings are most prominent when young people become involved in such a life style. This report will analyze the types of children who are susceptible, and resort to prostitution. This paper will also analyze how one starts out in prostitution, the lifestyles that they lead, the social-psychological effects, and treatment. Every year approximately 200,000 to 400,000 teenagers (boys and girls) become occupational prostitutes (Johnson 14). Other estimates are equally varied. According to Patricia Hersch,125,000 to 200,000 juveniles turn to prostitution each year. These drastic differences illustrate just how difficult the problem of counting teenage prostitutes are, and how little is actually known about them. In many cities where violence is wide spread, and murders are committed every day, catching prostitutes or their customers is a low priority for police, even where there are strict laws prohibiting the act. Experts do agree that the problem is growing, especially in major cities (14-15). In her book, Smith (5), claim that ninety-five percent of young prostitutes are victims of violent physical abuse. (5) Eighty-five percent are victims of incest. Ninety percent are victims of sexual abuse by someone outside the immediate family, and only two percent have families with two natural parents. These statistics may not come to our surprise when we consider the type of youth that are susceptible to a life of prostitution. Children who are susceptible in becoming teenage prostitutes were born when their parents lived together. Before long, and most often before they reach the age of five, well over seventy percent
DeFeis 2 of all children who become prostitutes watched their