Final+paper

"The National Runaway Switchboard estimates that as many as 2.8 million children flee their homes each year (Amber)." Girls runaway for many reasons some may have been sexual or physically abused, neglect by their family, or just dreaming of a better life. Runaway girls are searching for stability, family life, and a future (Hart). Sometimes children do not even know what they are searching for when they go out into the world. Runaways know they want something better then the life they have had for many years. Children do not know what they are looking for, but believe they have a better chance of finding it away from home. "Sometimes a girl is not necessarily running away from something terrible at home, but running towards something (Amber)." When they get out on the street they are in for a rude awakening. Young girls especially are very vulnerable and easily influenced; this is why many of them are tricked into working in the business of sexual exploitation. Some girls who are runaways want someone to love them. Since the Business of prostitution provides love for some runaway girls, consequently some runaway girls are coerced into prostitution. One of the main reasons girl leave their home is due to their father. Some girls may have been beaten, raped or both physically and sexual abused. “Somewhere between 68% and 95% of girls in the life have been sexually abused as children, specifically the vast majority through incest” (Goldblatt). Every young girl looks up to her father and believes he should treat her like a princess. In reality the total opposite happens to many girls. Girls must face horrors of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Many fathers abuse their children due to drug or alcohol abuse. In many cases if a young girl has brothers, they may take after their father’s violence, and abuse their sister as modeled by their father. Other girl runaway because they do not have a father or their fathers has walked out on them. Runaway girls go out into the world searching for a father, or male figure to spoil them, and show them affection. Many children are living with an unstable home life, or a dysfunctional family. Although many parents continue to believe their actions do not affect their children when in reality it can change a child’s life completely. There are all different reasons those girls runaway. Runaways are very vulnerable, and easily influenced; this is a main reason why many of them get involved with the business of prostitution. Divorce is another main reason girls lash out and leave the home. For some household divorce is a positive thing. Maybe your father has been beating your mother for years, or you have been beaten, and abused by him. When your parents finally get divorced your family is free. There are many different outcomes that can come from a divorce; many can be negative outcomes as well. Some girls such as Katherine in the book teenage runaways have a very close relationship with their father. Her father proceeded to leave her family for a new wife, which affected her greatly. “At first I tried calling him, when he first moved out. But he didn’t want to hear from me, he didn’t like me anymore” (Stewart). After her father left Katherine’s life went down the tubes, she started doing terrible in school, most of the time not even going. She didn’t care about anything, and started to get in fights with her mother more, and more. Katherine ran away and searched for a better life, falling into the terrible business of prostitution. Living free without parents may seem like a dream, you do not have to do chores, go to school, or listen to your parents. Children can simply hang out and don’t have to worry about reporting back to anyone or listening to orders. They can go wherever they want whenever they want. Children also bring their own possessions and money so they feel accomplished for living on their own. After living on the streets for a few days, maybe even a few hours the children get a rude awakening. Any teenager or preteen would never consider all the aspects that they will face once they are on their own. The main problems they will face will be where will they stay? Where will they get food? Who will protect them? And how will they make money? “With no money, no education, and no skills, runaways often end up selling the only thing they have-themselves” (Fremon). Children on the streets have no other option, they must make money to survive, and finding a job in this day is hard as it is. There are many organizations or places where people can get these things such as soup kitchens, churches, or homeless shelters. Most people do not go here because they fear what will happen when they get there. The people trying to help them may judge the girls, or even worse they may send the girls back to the life they were living before. Some children may not even have the chance to think about going to a shelter because a pimp picks them up within hours of leaving home. Runaway girls are very vulnerable, and are searching for something, a new life, and to start over. "Pimps know exactly which children to approach. They can recognize the desperate runaway fleeing abuse, or preteen looking for validation, and the girls whose parents aren't paying attention (Amber)." Pimps target girls who are defenseless and easily influenced. Young girls who have just run away from home are very agreeable to anyone who takes interest in them. Since they are out alone on the street and are running away from something, in turn they are looking for something. They may think they have found what they are looking for when they meet their “boyfriend” pimp. The pimp flatters the girls with compliments, and for once the girl feels affection, and love from a man, that she hasn't had her entire life. The age of women enter the business has decreased enormously. Many years ago it was crazy to have girls ages 15 or 16 in the business of prostitution. Now we have girls as young as 10 entering the field. “The younger they are the more they are worth on the street” (Fang). The maturity level of pre-teens compared to teenagers is very different. Younger girls are easily influenced which plays a key factor into their vulnerability, and need for an older figure to look up to. Many of these girls may not have even hit puberty yet. These girls may have not even hit puberty yet. They are children, which means they feel and act in different ways then older girls would. Imagine a 10 year old being forced to have sex with men more at least two times her age at least 15 times a day (Kolstad). After the girls have been spoiled and treated so well the man convinces the girl that she must pay him back, somehow. The way to pay back her pimp is to start working for him, and this is when her first job starts. The pimps spoil the girls with food, gifts, and affection, and then trick them into their first job, to pay their pimp back for treating them so well (Amber). Many girls had no clue that this man who was taking interest in them was a pimp. They think that he is an older boyfriend, or a father figure they are looking for in their lives. Once the girls are sexually exploited it is very hard to get out of it. The first reason it is hard to leave the life is because most girls end up falling in love with their pimp, and feeling loyal to him. Even girls who get out of the life sometimes tend to revert back to their pimp. When girls are feeling lonely, or need help they will turn to their pimp because he will compliment them, tell them he loves them. Since the runaways consider their pimps a father figure they tend to go back to the man they think they love. Another reason girls cannot leave their pimp will threaten the girls if they even talk about leaving. "Pimps spend a lot of time making sure the girls are brainwashed into believing that the pimp is the only one who will ever love them and accept them (Amber)." Once in the life the runaways feel they have no other option but to continue to prostitute, and be loyal to their daddy. If girl attempt to leave or the pimp finds out they are thinking about it the girl will suffer, she may be threatened, beaten, or even killed. Although many of us believe that prostitution only affects girls, we are wrong. Many men and young boys are involved in this disgusting business as well. More than 300,000 young men are currently working on the streets of the United States (Fremon). These men are doing the same thing that many of the girls are doing which is sleeping with men to survive. Many of these young boys do not look at this tasks are an act of homosexually but just a job they must perform in order to make money, and stay alive (Fremon). This may seem unheard of but sexually exploitation happens in all different places to all different people, including young boys. Child prostitution is something that no child should ever have to go through. In the United States we tend to turn our head. We think that international human trafficking, and child prostitution is much worse, but this is inaccurate. There is about 1 to 1.5 million children in the United States who are runaways. Out of the 1 to 1.5 million one-third of them have some connection with the business of prostitution (Fang). It is shown that child prostitution is a huge issue in the United States. Not only are the girls coerced into prostitution but some never leave the life, or leave the business very traumatized physically and emotionally. "The average life expectancy of a child after entering prostitution is seven years (Fang)." This means girls entering prostitution at 13 or 14 may be dead by 20 or 21. Just the thought of that is horrifying. If girls do end up getting out of the life they are faced with many challenges, some may face post traumatic stress disorder, having sexually transmitted diseases, or infertility. Others may come out of the business for a little while, but many will return to their pimp, or back to the life. Girls who get out of the life will face many challenges. For the past years they have been working they are dependent on an older male figure that is looking out for them. The girls are also not used to having to hold down a real job, and provide for themselves. If the girls were taking right out of their house, and were runaways they may have never lived on their own before. All of these factors and more make it very hard for girls to get out of the life and stay out of the life. When the girls are working with their pimp they feel the love and affection they long for. Our world these days has glamorized pimps, hoes, strip clubs, and even porn. The American Culture is becoming dehumanized to the terrors, and reality of these things. Girls are seen as objects, and are worthless. Their bodies are no longer something to conserve but something to show off and sell. Prostitution is not the only place that this is happening. Even young girls in middle school and high school, are wearing less, and acting more provocative to gain attention from men. It is heartbreaking that people feel, and act this way but due to the media, music and actions of humans these days, girl feel they must do this to fit in and be loved. The buyer is another main issue that is not usually touched upon when thinking about prostitution. Normally people think of the dirty pimps, and the hopeless girls who are selling their bodies to survive. It reality the most disgusting part of prostitution is the man buying the sex. He could, and most likely is right in front of you. The buyer could be anyone, and everyone from a bachelor looking for a good time, to a sex addict or a married man. It is hard to picture these terrified girls being forced to have sex with these types of men. If there were no buyer there would be no need for these young girls to be exploited. Not only is the buyer supporting the industry of prostitution but other businesses, and people are bringing money in too. The newspaper, yellow pages, and Internet, and Adult book stores that advertise prostitution are all profiting from this, as well as bringing more business into the industry. Other businesses such as hotels harbor these acts of prostitution, also are profiting, and supporting the industry. Another service that aids prostitution is taxi services that may bring the girls to the buyers. With out the buyer and all the other aspects supporting the industry there would be no possible way for this industry to be thriving like it is. All of these promoters are things that the everyday person is using. It was interesting to hear the responses from different people on what they knew about sexual exploitation and how they felt about it. Not only did student at Springfield High School respond to the video and survey. Two college students from Samson University in Birmingham, AL responded to the discussion. They also added wrote a special letter. One of the girls is doing her senior project for College on Trafficking and she is working first hand with girls who have been trafficked near her. It was amazing to hear from other people who are trying to help. Runaway girls have all different reason to runaway from home. Many runaway girls may have been abused mentally, physically, or sexual. When they go out on the street they do not know what they are searching for but it is something they have been missing. This thing missing may be a father figure, or maybe just a person to love, and accept them. Through trickery, and coercion pimps convince young girls that they are the solution to the girl’s problem. With their pimp the girls can have the dream lifestyle they have never had. Pimps have a well thought-out plan to pull the girls in. First they spoil the girls with cloths, food and love. Once they have hooked the girl then they turn around. Now the girls must make money for their “boyfriend” or pimp so he will continue to love her. When young girls runaway they are very vulnerable in turn they may fall into the business of sexual exploitation.