It’s been a while since I posted anything. Part of the problem was just having so much to say, I didn’t know where to start. Part of it was I needed to rethink my strategy and goals. I feel clearer on that now. However part of it was just an inability to articulate how frustrated I am when I hear stories like this:

FBI, police rescue child prostitutes around US

The FBI has rescued more than 45 suspected teenage prostitutes, some as young as 13, in a nationwide sweep to remove kids from the illegal sex trade and punish their accused pimps.

Over a three-night initiative called Operation Cross Country, federal agents working with local law enforcement also arrested more than 50 alleged pimps, according to preliminary bureau data.

The teenage prostitutes found in the investigation ranged in age from 13 to 17.

Historically, federal authorities rarely play a role in anti-prostitution crackdowns, but the FBI is becoming more involved as it tries to rescue children caught up in the business.

“The goal is to recover kids. We consider them the child victims of prostitution,” said FBI Deputy Assistant Director Daniel Roberts.

“Unfortunately, the vast majority of these kids are what they term ‘throwaway kids,’ with no family support, no friends. They’re kids that nobody wants, they’re loners. Many are runaways,” Roberts said.

Most of the children are put into the custody of local child protection agencies.

They might as well just add the note ‘and within days those youth will run away from the facilities the first chance they get.‘ Because, in fact, many of the youth do have friends and people they trust and it isn’t the police or child protection agencies.

I stopped posting around the time of the last wave of arrests in late October last year:

U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello joined FBI and local police representatives at a news conference at the Oakland Police Department Tuesday morning on the operation, which netted 642 arrests in 29 cities….The national arrests included 73 alleged pimps and 518 alleged prostitutes, the FBI reported. In addition, 47 children working as prostitutes – who range in age from 13 to 17 – were rescued during the operation, according to the FBI.

That article highlights something from last year’s two nationwide sweeps (one in June and the other in October) – hundreds of arrests of adult women (anyone 18 and over) who apparently have the misfortune of appearing young in escort advertisements so federal agents try to set up sting operations with those individuals on the possibility they might be minors.

Another article today indicates that this might be the case this past weekend as well. These adults are not offered services but arrested and potentially charged with federal offenses.

Being taken into custody by federal law enforcement agents is traumatizing and creates deep fear among teens in the sex trade. Communities don’t even have adequate services or housing for youth they find so they are warehoused in foster care facilities and detention centers. Raids set up an environment of terror and panic and discourage any potential for youth to voluntarily seek out police for assistance. Raids are not the answer.

The youth taken into custody by federal agents need and deserve solid legal representation. And we need to stop the practice of raids and instead make multiple welcoming options available to teens and anyone who wants to leave the sex trade and make it easy for someone to get assistance. And we are so far away from that right now, it really worries me.

Tags: raids, rescue philosophy, teen prostitution, the law