azathoth777
08-20-2006, 04:39 PM
Thirteen years old.
That is the average age of child prostitutes in the Valley. Often contacted in malls or online, girls and boys are falling prey to pimps who use them and adult clients who have sex with them.
It is not an issue many want to discuss, but in Phoenix, the problem is not going away. On the contrary, it has grown dramatically. The Phoenix Police Department has identified about 60 pimps in the area, said Sgt. Chris Bray, who has worked in the unit for six years. The Police Department's vice enforcement unit spends 30 to 40 percent of its work combating juvenile prostitution. advertisement
The problem of child prostitution was the focus Thursday afternoon of a meeting of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Child Prostitution, called by Phoenix Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten.
Together, city and county officials discussed ways of combating the crimes committed against Valley children. They also discussed the need for educating the community about the dangers and the victims.
The largely underground problem of child prostitution is "so ugly that nobody wants to face it," Assistant City Prosecutor Sharon Stolpen said. "There is a misconception that this only happens to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. (But the reality is) it doesn't matter if you live in a million-dollar house or a $400-per-month apartment."
Making the public more aware was a goal common to the task force members. One member, Lex E. Anderson, justice of the peace in the Lake Pleasant Justice Court, is overseeing the production of an educational video about child prostitution.
In recruiting child prostitutes, pimps often appeal to a young person's vanity, Bray said. Some recruit in area malls. Bray explained a technique one pimp used: Approach three girls in a mall. Don't talk to the prettiest because she is used to attention. Don't speak with the least pretty because she will be suspicious. Instead, narrow in on the one who looks average, the one who wants the attention. Tell her she is pretty. Model pretty.
Children who prove vulnerable to such flattery often fall victim to a "gradual breakdown of moral inhibitors," Bray said. They pose in photographs of a sexual nature, they have sex online and they eventually have sex with clients for money.
Catching the pimps typically involves a sting operation, where the child prostitutes are apprehended and questioned, Bray said. The prostitute is sometimes placed in a Juvenile Court center, where she or he can live in a safe, secure and neutral place. Task force members hope to find better places to house victims.
In addition to catching the pimps, several task force members emphasize the need to apprehend those individuals called johns, who have sex with the child prostitutes.
"If there's no demand, there's no need for supply," Stolpen said. "If there weren't these perverted, sick men, there would be no incentive for these pimps."
Task force members agreed that reforms to Arizona legislation are necessary so johns cannot avoid jail time by claiming they didn't know a child was only 15, 16 or 17.
Task force members plan to meet monthly.
That is the average age of child prostitutes in the Valley. Often contacted in malls or online, girls and boys are falling prey to pimps who use them and adult clients who have sex with them.
It is not an issue many want to discuss, but in Phoenix, the problem is not going away. On the contrary, it has grown dramatically. The Phoenix Police Department has identified about 60 pimps in the area, said Sgt. Chris Bray, who has worked in the unit for six years. The Police Department's vice enforcement unit spends 30 to 40 percent of its work combating juvenile prostitution. advertisement
The problem of child prostitution was the focus Thursday afternoon of a meeting of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Child Prostitution, called by Phoenix Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten.
Together, city and county officials discussed ways of combating the crimes committed against Valley children. They also discussed the need for educating the community about the dangers and the victims.
The largely underground problem of child prostitution is "so ugly that nobody wants to face it," Assistant City Prosecutor Sharon Stolpen said. "There is a misconception that this only happens to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. (But the reality is) it doesn't matter if you live in a million-dollar house or a $400-per-month apartment."
Making the public more aware was a goal common to the task force members. One member, Lex E. Anderson, justice of the peace in the Lake Pleasant Justice Court, is overseeing the production of an educational video about child prostitution.
In recruiting child prostitutes, pimps often appeal to a young person's vanity, Bray said. Some recruit in area malls. Bray explained a technique one pimp used: Approach three girls in a mall. Don't talk to the prettiest because she is used to attention. Don't speak with the least pretty because she will be suspicious. Instead, narrow in on the one who looks average, the one who wants the attention. Tell her she is pretty. Model pretty.
Children who prove vulnerable to such flattery often fall victim to a "gradual breakdown of moral inhibitors," Bray said. They pose in photographs of a sexual nature, they have sex online and they eventually have sex with clients for money.
Catching the pimps typically involves a sting operation, where the child prostitutes are apprehended and questioned, Bray said. The prostitute is sometimes placed in a Juvenile Court center, where she or he can live in a safe, secure and neutral place. Task force members hope to find better places to house victims.
In addition to catching the pimps, several task force members emphasize the need to apprehend those individuals called johns, who have sex with the child prostitutes.
"If there's no demand, there's no need for supply," Stolpen said. "If there weren't these perverted, sick men, there would be no incentive for these pimps."
Task force members agreed that reforms to Arizona legislation are necessary so johns cannot avoid jail time by claiming they didn't know a child was only 15, 16 or 17.
Task force members plan to meet monthly.