Check out a preliminary report from Toledo, Ohio on youth involved in prostitution. The unfunded research is a passion of Celia Williamson of Second Chance. Some of the findings so far include 91% of the youth reporting abuse at home, 77% had been been involved with the area child protective services with over half being in foster care and some detailed qualitative data on how the pimp networks are operating in the Toledo, Ohio area.
I especially liked the list of suggestions so far from youth interviewed. Here’s a short excerpt:
We need someone to talk to, to turn to, someone we can trust. Not nobody’s who’s gonna snake us and turn their back and look down on us or judge us for what we’ve been through. We need support and people that care.
Have meetings and get to true feelings
It’s very hard to get out. Need support groups and job and gain self respect. They don’t care about themselves. People should let them know they’re with somebody that cares about them. Girls just want to be loved. To take care of themselves or their families and that’s the fastest way to do it
Court should do something when kids are raped as children
Read more in the report.
