Most people think of child prostitution as something that happens in other, faraway countries -- but it's a huge problem right here in the U.S., and the reality is uglier and more terrifying than you can even imagine. Thank god the FBI is taking action: In a recent nationwide sweep targeting organized crime-run child prostitution rings, FBI agents along with state and local police officials rescued 79 minors (mostly girls around the ages of 11 to 13) and arrested 104 pimps -- over the course of three days. The girls were terrified, held against their will. Most of them started out as runaways who were lured into prostitution with promises of cellphones, food, and a place to stay. The mobsters apparently used social media to find the girls, an approach they refer to as a "business strategy."
It's enough to make a person physically ill, imagining what these poor vulnerable kids have been through. At least they're finally out of harm's way ... for now.
But what happens next? After they're released from police custody, most of these kids don't have anywhere to go (they ended up becoming prostitutes because they ran away from home, remember?). So what are they supposed to do? Go back to the bridge they were living under? Acting Executive Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI says there's a desperate need for an increase in social services. "These kids are really damaged," he says. "They require a specialized kind of help."
"After an earlier operation, I was called by a prosecutor who said, 'I know I'm not supposed to lock her up but my domestic violence shelters won't take her, the runaway shelters won't take her so I have no choice but to put her in secure detention for her own protection.' But our hope is that America is waking up to that."
That's my hope, too. And I also hope that these 79 kids somehow find a way to heal and feel safe again. I hope they somehow find a way to piece their lives back together. I really, really hope they find caring adults who will guide them on the right path.
Did you know child prostitution rings were such a big problem here in the U.S.?
Image via KOMUNews/Flickr
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Comments 11
Bet lydia will be one this one with one of her "man-bashing" posts.
Seriously this is just all kinds of messed up, why can we not help these poor girls who have already been so horribly treated?
O.O @ lydia
Lydia, you really make it a point to say some very powerful stuff on this column site... I wonder what your goal is by doing this? It seems as though you're seeking some kind of attention by stating such extreme points of views that will most likely offend the others.
Perhaps it's time to stop responding to this stuff... I'm sure it just feeds Lydia's needs...
Jespren, that's why I always read the original reports articles like these link to. In the actual news report, it states: "Most of the underage girls will be turned over to social service agencies." The whole point of The Stir is to get you emotionally riled up with author opinions on an issue. It's best to take an objective stance and read the original sources that are thankfully linked to.
Lydia...news falsh I trust MEN yes those human beings walking around with penises to watch my kids over women anyday.
screw the pimps im pissed at the parents what the hell is wrong with the parents most of these girls had a jacked up home life im not saying all of them bc im sure there were some girls in there that had good homes who just were pissed at their parents and got into a bad situation but men are pigs everywhere and everybody knows that so as women or i should say as parents man or women we need to watch over and protect our kids and these parents didnt!! thats what pisses me off i assume that a man is going to do what he shouldnt i expect a parent to be to be the one to not let this happen in the first place now these girls have a long way to go to be able to move on from their nightmare and now they are just going to be put right back in the hell they were in before were is the justice in that?