JHM-SCOTLAND :

Child Prostitution Awareness

The information below is designed to educate and make people aware of the evil of the children, teenagers and women being lured, groomed, driven by desperation or trafficked into the industry and kept under severe control and abuse.


Teen prostitution Guide For Mothers & Others

Every year tens of thousands of young people, especially young girls, become trapped into prostitution. Mothers, grandmothers, and others close to the young women, are usually the first to suspect the girl is in trouble. They're also the most likely to care deeply, and the most willing to fight long and hard to help the young woman. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with tips, information, and resources to help you fight as effectively as possible to help a girl involved in prostitution.

Helping your child is not going to be easy. As you're probably well aware, there are still very powerful prejudices and forces working against any young person in prostitution. There are the pimps and johns who treat her as merchandise, and control her with degradation, threats, and violence. There are police agencies that often treat her as a criminal. And there is much of our society that still believes it's the girls who are the root cause of the prostitution problem.

The good news is there is also a new and growing understanding that these young women are really the victims in an extremely powerful and harmful criminal system of exploitation. New laws are being passed to protect the prostituted child and to punish the pimps, johns and others who profit from or participate in the child's prostitution. And there is a growing array of services to help the young women recover from the many traumas of being prostituted.

It's nowhere near perfect yet. In fact, it's really only just beginning. There's no guarantee your efforts will meet with success, no matter how much you pour your heart into it. Along the way you'll probably encounter many professionals and officials who still believe that it is the prostituted young woman who should be blamed, scorned, discarded, ignored, arrested, or punished. But don't give up! There is new hope. Keep looking and keep fighting. Often you can find people ready and willing to help you right in the same program or agency where others have ignored you.

Your fight will be worth it. Prostitution is violent, and it does severe damage to a young person's body, mind, and soul. Melissa Farley, a respected prostitution researcher, has found that prostitutes often suffer more severe post-traumatic stress disorder that veterans of war. The best way to help is to get the girl out of prostitution as soon as possible. Your fight to help a loved one will also help all women and girls.

NOTE 1: Why just girls?
Though much of the information in this guide can be applied to helping a young boy, or helping an adult female or male, there are enough differences for each group, in the dynamics of male and female prostitution, in legal status, or parental rights, that in order to avoid confusion, we focus here very specifically on helping females under 18 years of age. There's another reason, too. The overwhelming number of prostitutes are female, and the average age of entry into prostitution is between 12 and 14-years-old. Helping a girl gets at the heart of stopping prostitution.

NOTE 2:Why mothers and grandmothers?
We address this guide to mothers, grandmothers, and others close to the girl because we believe they have been seriously overlooked as a key resource in efforts to end child prostitution. The reason mothers, in particular, have been overlooked is partly due to the fact that many child prostitutes have been previous victims of child sexual abuse. And though the perpetrators of this earlier abuse are almost always male family members, many in society blame the mothers. They believe the mothers should have, and didn't, protect the child from the abuse.

Having worked for many years on cases of child sexual abuse, we recognize that many times mothers are not aware of the abuse their daughters are suffering. Other times, the mothers are being so severely abused themselves they've been unable to control or escape the abuser. We also recognize that there are mothers who did have the opportunity to protect the child and, in fact, did not. These mothers sometimes finally come to see the damage that's been done when the child is trapped in prostitution, and they realize it's never too late to wake up and fight. We also recognize that there are many girls who had perfectly healthy, happy childhoods who also end up getting trapped in prostitution.

We write this guide to support all the mothers who see that no matter what happened in the past, the moment is now to fight for your child's life. Our conviction that mothers and grandmothers are key in the fight to help child prostitutes is supported by the fact that almost all the calls we receive looking to help a prostituted child come from a mother or grandmother. We also want to support the many fathers, teachers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, clergy, aunts, uncles, police, social workers, advocates, etc., who are also ready to fight hard for the safety, freedom, and justice for prostituted girls.

Part 1 ~ Warning Signs that a Girl May Be Being Prostituted:
As you read the following list, remember that these warning signs may or may not indicate a girl is involved in prostitution. Any one of these, or even all of them together, are not proof that a girl is involved in prostitution. But they are warning signs that should alert you to the possibility.

The Warning Signs:

[© 2011 Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center.]

Here are some note worthy facts:

  • You should call the police if your child is missing or suspected of being prostituted.
  • Child prostitutes are at risk of being repeatedly raped, abused, beaten, sexually exploited or killed.
  • List of the risks of prostitution, includes illnesses such as Candidiasis, Paresthesia, Opportunistic infectiondisorders, ailments, Vaginal odor, Vaginal tenderness, Asymptomatic, Blister, Skin rash, Vaginal tenderness , HIV, Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Tumor, Cervical cancer, Genital ulcer and other infections & maladies.
  • Beware of paedophiles, child abusers & pimps operating in your area! Be vigilant!Pimping is a crime! Report pimps to the police!
Part 1 ~ Warning Signs that a Girl May Be Being Prostituted:
As you read the following list, remember that these warning signs may or may not indicate a girl is involved in prostitution. Any one of these, or even all of them together, are not proof that a girl is involved in prostitution. But they are warning signs that should alert you to the possibility.

The Warning Signs:
Friends and acquaintances of the girl are saying she is involved in prostitution. Adolescents can stir up a lot of elaborate mean rumors. At the same time, teens can often be the first to know when there really are abusive things going on. If your daughter's friends and acquaintances are saying she's involved in prostitution, it's definitely time to have some serious talks with the kids, their parents, and their teachers to find out exactly what's going on. And even if it is just a mean rumor, you need to involve the teachers and parents anyway to get it stopped, and to arm the kids with good information about the realities of prostitution.

Your girl is talking about other girls being involved in prostitution. Again, this is certainly not proof that your daughter is involved in prostitution. But it is a warning. Girls are often first introduced to pimps and johns by other girls who are already involved. Remember, the number one risk factor for children getting into prostitution is the presence of pimps and johns in the neighborhood. If your girl is is talking about other girls being involved in prostitution, it's time to talk with and inform your daughter well about the realities of prostitution (See tips for talking with your daughter in Part 2.) It's also time to get together with the other girls' mothers to work with them and the schools to find out what's going on, and to get the pimps and johns out of your neighborhood and hopefully arrested.

She has unexplained money, clothes or other gifts. One common way that pimps recruit a girl is to shower her with gifts. He will also very likely be pretending that he is her boyfriend or suitor. At this point, your daughter probably won't have any idea she's being recruited. But you should be suspicious. It's not appropriate for any man (or woman), young or old, to be giving teenagers money, clothes, jewelry, and gifts beyond simple mutual exchanges normal between teenagers. You need to know who this person is, whether or not he's a pimp, and redirect him out of your daughter's life. And probably report him to police, too. Also, be aware that older pimps often use younger male (or female) cohorts to lure a child in.

Pimps often continue doling out the money, clothes, and gifts as they increasingly alternate this with violence, threats, and insults.

She has a drug habit she couldn't possibly afford on her own. Plying youngsters with drugs is another first step pimps often use to reel a child in.

Absence from home, friends, and school.
The second thing a pimp usually does when recruiting a young person into prostitution is to begin to isolate them from their family, friends, and school. Before getting heavy handed with a girl a pimp wants to get the girl as far removed (physically and emotionally) from help as he or she can. It's not that hard to do. Once having showered a girl with gifts and feigned romance, all he has to do now is to exploit any of the usual or unusual antagonisms that exist between the teen and her social environment. The pimp, of course, paints himself (or herself) as the only one who really understands and cares.

Abrupt and uncharacteristic changes
Sudden changes in dress, schedule, and associates. One noticeable mistake pimps often make is to push these changes on the girl much faster than the usual flow. After all, for the pimp, time is money. So abrupt, uncharacteristic, and unexplainable changes in your teen should alert you to the possibility she's being recruited.

She has relationships with older men (or older women).
This should always be a warning sign to parents that something is wrong. You probably already know that you should pay close attention to your child's relationships with all older people, even if they are the child's teacher, clergy, neighbor, or coach. But when unexplained older people form a relationship with your child, you should be especially wary.

Unwillingness to answer everyday questions.
Giving evasive answers to your questions is a phase many teens pass through. You need to try to figure out if she's just being rebellious, or if she's trying to hide something substantial. You also have to decide when enough is enough. It's just not safe or acceptable when a child won't tell you in detail about a job offer they've gotten, for example, or about why they missed a half day of school, or where they're getting money and gifts.

She has a suspicious job or job offer.
Always check up on any job offered to a juvenile. A telephone call to the supposed 'employer' is not a sufficient check. Many pimps know exactly how to fool a parent. Always go in to meet the boss at the place of work. And from time to time check up unexpectedly.

She has repeated brushes with the law.
Even if police know a minor is involved with prostitution, they will often arrest the child on other charges, such as 'drug possession', 'disturbing the peace', 'shoplifting', or 'using false documents', etc. Police often do this because those offenses can be much easier for the officer to prove than a child prostitution arrest. Unfortunately, because of such charges, many teen victims of prostitution remain hidden, unidentified, incarcerated, and unhelped in juvenile halls. The tragic consequence is that the child is further stigmatized, and is now more vulnerable than ever to being turned back out onto the streets. The key point here is that you should be aware that entrapment in prostitution is often the underlying condition behind seemingly minor brushes with the law.

There is prostitution in your neighborhood.
Wherever there is prostitution there are pimps and johns collecting in the area and there is danger for all the girls and young women in the neighborhood. Other neighborhood features that can make girls more vulnerable in your area are the presence of bus terminals, sex shops and massage shops, malls, and street gangs. Naturally, the presence of these features doesn't indicate your daughter is involved. But if you already have suspicions, the presence of these neighborhood factors should heighten your alert to the real possibility. At the same time, just because your neighborhood seems completely safe, it doesn't mean your daughter is safe. It's still possible there are pimps working the streets and schools looking for girls to recruit.
© 2011 Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center.

Here are some note worthy facts:

  • You should call the police if your child is missing or suspected of being prostituted.
  • Child prostitutes are at risk of being repeatedly raped, abused, beaten, sexually exploited or killed.
  • List of the risks of prostitution, includes illnesses such as Candidiasis, Paresthesia, Opportunistic infectiondisorders, ailments, Vaginal odor, Vaginal tenderness, Asymptomatic, Blister, Skin rash, Vaginal tenderness , HIV, Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Tumor, Cervical cancer, Genital ulcer and other infections & maladies.
  • Beware of paedophiles, child abusers & pimps operating in your area! Be vigilant!Pimping is a crime! Report pimps to the police!
Tips for investigation suspected teen prostitution
The following tips are not necessarily given in the order of importance, and you may very well want to proceed in a different order than what follows here. For example, it may be that the first thing you will want to do is go to the police. But we've left that discussion for another section so as to give it more detail.

Try to find out all you can about what's happening with your daughter. The more specific information you can develop on your own, the better response you'll be able to get from authorities. The main questions you want to answer are, what is she doing, who is she doing it with, where is she at, who has what information, and what other evidence is there. Ask teachers, friends, neighbors, store owners, young people, and more. You may want to tell some people directly that you think the girl may be being prostituted. Other people you may want to question more indirectly. Also, there are some people who can be better approached by someone other than yourself. For example, you may want to have other parents talk to their own children to find out what they know. Or if you've gone to police, it's often best to leave the interview of other children to the police.

Give your phone number to any one you feel comfortable having it. It's also a good idea to give people the phone number of the investigating officer on your daughter's case if you have filed a report. Some people may feel more comfortable talking directly to police. Also, give people the number to one of the national hotlines we've listed a little lower down since some people may want to get more information for themselves before saying anything about what they know. One way to do this is to make up cards with the relevant phone numbers that you can hand to people. Or, if it seems more appropriate, make up a flyer with your child's picture, relevant information, and phone numbers where people can contact you and/or the authorities.

Don't be shy about going back to talk with people again and again. Your first conversation may get people thinking and talking with others. You never know when they may have new information filtering in.

In addition to asking questions about the individual girl, try also to find out if there are other girls in the area who have been recruited, if there are known pimps operating in the area, or local hotels that cater to prostitution. If there are pimps operating in the area, it's almost certain other girls, and possibly boys, have experienced recruiting attempts. And you can be certain that other parents will be as upset as you are to find out about it, making it possible for you all to work together to get the pimp and others arrested.

If you've always been careful not to invade your daughter's privacy, this may be an occasion where her safety is more important. Consider going through her phone records, her computer, her clothes, and her room for clues as to where your daughter is and what she's doing.

Importance of keeping a notebook/notepad/Log:
In addition, make sure you always have a notebook and pen by the phone.
© 2011 Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center.

Here are some note worthy facts for you:

  • You should call the police if your child is missing or suspected of being prostituted.
  • Child prostitutes are at risk of being repeatedly raped, abused, beaten, sexually exploited or killed.
  • List of the risks of prostitution, includes illnesses such as Candidiasis, Paresthesia, Opportunistic infectiondisorders, ailments, Vaginal odor, Vaginal tenderness, Asymptomatic, Blister, Skin rash, Vaginal tenderness , HIV, Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Tumor, Cervical cancer, Genital ulcer and other infections & maladies.
  • Beware of paedophiles, child abusers & pimps operating in your area! Be vigilant!Pimping is a crime! Report pimps to the police!
Jannet Hopewell teachings and sermons are available on a variety of platforms includig the following: © 2011 Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center.

Here are some note worthy facts:

  • You should call the police if your child is missing or suspected of being prostituted.
  • Child prostitutes are at risk of being repeatedly raped, abused, beaten, sexually exploited or killed.
  • List of the risks of prostitution, includes illnesses such as Candidiasis, Paresthesia, Opportunistic infectiondisorders, ailments, Vaginal odor, Vaginal tenderness, Asymptomatic, Blister, Skin rash, Vaginal tenderness , HIV, Chlamydia, Hepatitis, Tumor, Cervical cancer, Genital ulcer and other infections & maladies.
  • Beware of paedophiles, child abusers & pimps operating in your area! Be vigilant!Pimping is a crime! Report pimps to the police!
Coming Back to a Future [after Prostitution]
If you've been successful at getting your daughter to a safe place out of the immediate grip of pimps and johns, you've done a phenomenal job for your daughter. Truly, you should be deserving of time to rest and relax in peace. But, unfortunately, in order to fully protect your daughter and bring her back to life there's more that needs to be done. Prostitution is very damaging to a youngster. Their spirits and sense of themselves are often so broken, they usually can't find their way back to a new life on their own, unless they get some expert help. Without help, they are at risk of sliding right back into the grip of prostitution.

In addition to the psychological damage, your daughter may also suffer one or more of the other injuries and injustices related to being prostituted. Your daughter may have problems with drugs, may be malnourished, behind in her education, lacking friends, burdened with legal problems, have sexually transmitted diseases, or behavior problems. Any or all of these things can be remedied, but they generally do need attention.

One of the most important things you can do right away for your daughter is to let her know that you believe in her, and that you believe she can have a bright future. Right now your daughter likely doesn't believe in herself. So no matter how damaged she may seem to you, it's so important you don't despair. Remember, the good news is that there is more help and understanding for these youngsters now than there has ever been before. Your belief that your daughter can get back on her feet will be contagious, and will be the first big step in getting her there.

Here are some more tips for taking the next steps:
Understand that your daughter is very traumatized. She's probably not going to return to her old self in days or even weeks, especially if she's been prostituted for any length of time. Being prostituted means that she was constantly degraded, raped, threatened and treated as an inhuman commodity. Getting angry or criticizing her won't help. Always keep in mind that she's been subject to forces and atrocities that were way beyond her capacity to understand or control. It's very important that you don't blame her.

Remember, too, that your daughter is young. With the right help your daughter's youth is going to work in her favor. With the right help she can make big changes and have a bright future. Tell her you believe in her! Remind her of her dreams! Give her hope! Tell her she deserves to have a happy life! Involve your daughter as much as possible in exploring sources of help. (Places to call are listed a little further on.)

It may be that your daughter is willing to get help, which is wonderful. In this case you and she can get right to work together to find a program that will work for her. As you search around and call different programs, be sure to have your daughter get on the phone to talk with the people so she has a chance to ask questions about issues that are relevant to her. The more you can involve your daughter in the search and decisions about the kind of help she gets, the more likely she'll particapte wholeheartedly.

If your daughter is not open to being helped, don't get into a battle with her about it. Here are some different things you can try to maybe coax her along. Break it down into smaller steps! Tell your daughter that you're not going to force her into any program. But tell her that you do want her to talk on the phone with a person from one of the programs. (Give her the list of questions further on in this section that she can use once she gets on the phone.) Or if she's not willing to look at programs for prostituted girls, see if you can't get her to see a supportive counselor, a victim advocate, or a drug counselor, etc. Another tactic is to get other people to talk with her, such as a favorite teacher, another parent, a grandparent. Many completely normal teenagers can listen to advice much better from a trusted adult other than her own parents.

Despite all your efforts, it may be that your daughter absolutely refuses any and all help related to her problems. In fact, she may be stubbornly unwilling to even admit that she has any problems at all. She may believe she can just pick up her life where she left off. Don't panic! After serious trauma, believing that you can just pick up where you left off is a common coping mechanism. And, surprisingly, sometimes it works. Sometimes people are better able to deal with serious problems by first putting a little normalcy back in their lives before getting help.

So if your daughter refuses all your efforts to connect her to help, don't panic! Don't do battle! Tell your daughter gently that you don't agree with her, that you're concerned for her safety and happiness, but that you're not going to force her to get help. Tell her that you're going to work with her as she goes back into school or to a job, but that you're going to bring the subject up again if you see she's having trouble.
© 2011 Marie De Santis, Women's Justice Center.

Here are some methods by which JHM assists victim:
  • Call us toll free for support on 0 800 093 4451
  • We offering constant prayer and listening services to those trying to escape.
  • Counselling referral service can be arranged for victims.
  • We assist victime to gain access to shelter or temporary accommodation in a safe place.
  • We refer those wanting to escape to the specialised "Exit" team who can get them out safely!
  • We offer referral to medical service support teams for urgent assistance.
  • We can help victims to confidentially notify the police & contact special trafficking team.
  • We are able to refer women for training or gain access to retraining facilities to help them restart life.
  • We offer micro-finance assistance in nations where we work overseas.
  • We are able to offer temporary shelter arrangements or facilities in partnership with other charities/agencies.