Youth Involvement in Prostitution: A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography

Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography (continued)

California Office of Criminal Justice Planning. (1991). Confronting sexual exploitationof Homeless Youth: California’s Juvenile Prostitution Intervention Projects.

“This manual presents options and strategies to communities interested in addressing the sexual exploitation of adolescents and is based on the experience of three projects funded through the California Office of Criminal Justice Planning that provided services to runaway and homeless adolescents in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco from February 1989 to February 1991. The projects were based on the recognition that the majority of runaways who come to emergency shelters have been severely physically or sexually abused and have run away due to their stressful home environments. Many have been abandoned or told to leave home by a parent. Many turn to prostitution as a way to obtain shelter, food, clothing, or drugs, but few will admit it. During their first 3 years, the 3 projects provided outreach services to more than 5,000 youths. The manual details alternative organizational structures and staffing, factors to consider in planning and implementing a successful project, innovative project designs and services, and recommended elements of a comprehensive system of care for juvenile prostitutes.”

Calgary Police Commission. (1992). A national task force on juvenile prostitution: A proposal for coordinated action. Mimeo.

The Calgary Police Service has noted an increase in the number of juveniles involved in prostitution over the past several years. In response, the Calgary Police commission introduced a Working Committee to consider the value of establishing a National Task Force on Prostitution. Initially focused on numerous prostitution-related issues, the Committee settled on juvenile prostitution as an important public concern that should be addressed. The Working Committee advocated a National Task Force on Juvenile Prostitution to explore legislative options to help decrease incidence of juvenile prostitution. The task force would make recommendations to amend and/or create new youth prostitution-related laws.

Canadian Child Welfare Association. (1987). Proceedings of the national consultation on adolescent prostitution. Ottawa: CCWA.

This document stems from transcribed tapes and group notes taken during a national consultation on juvenile prostitution. The document reviews the major themes expressed by the participants: defining the problem of juvenile prostitution, knowledge and service gaps, improving quality of services, facilitating the development of services, and fostering cross-sectional communication and co-operation. The summary aims to assist and inform governments and practitioners who are developing policies, programs and interventions that focus on juvenile prostitution.

Carter, B. (1985/86). The Badgley report from a feminist perspective. Resources for Feminist Research, 13 (4), 42-44.

In this paper, the author critically addresses the bias and perspective contained in the Report on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youth (the Badgley Report). The Badgley Committee adhered to a male-stream method of inquiry that failed to address gender as an oppressive cultural reality. Improvements to legislation, social services, and the call for more research are not discounted; however, the Committee could have addressed the systemic relationship between our patriarchal social structure and the sexual abuse of children and youth by including a feminist perspective.

Cates, J. (1989). Adolescent male prostitution by choice. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 6 151-56.

The literature on male prostitution is fixated on adolescent runaways who are coerced into prostitution in large urban settings. This study examines prostitution in a mid-sized midwestern city where preconditions of the sex trade differ from large cities. Male prostitutes under the age of 18 are studied to reveal that many have the necessities of food shelter and clothes, and many “return to a family at the end of an evening.” Two case studies explore reasons for entry into adolescent male prostitution. The author suggests that, contrary to common assumptions, adolescent males become involved in prostitution for “emotional rather than economic needs.” Adolescents who prostitute by choice appear to be victimized by their feelings of “inferiority, insecurity, and development of peer-oriented or delinquent orientation.”

Cates, J., & Markley, J. (1992). Demographic, clinical, and personality variables associated with male prostitution by choice. Adolescence, 27, 107, 695-706.

Literature on male prostitution focuses primarily on individuals who are coerced into the sex trade, or those who participate as a means of subsistence. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 male hustlers and 15 male nonhustlers to examine male participation in the sex trade by choice. Respondents were asked questions about their “living status, education, employment status, values, relationships, use of drugs and alcohol, knowledge of HIV and AIDS, and family history.” Male hustlers were asked about their entry into the sex trade and their experience as prostitutes. Contrary to previous studies, the data suggest that male hustlers were involved in prostitution by choice, “primarily to earn extra money.” The data also suggest that male hustlers were more likely to have substance abuse issues, be more antisocial (limited support for this finding), and have “limited vocational aspirations.” The authors caution that the findings are limited due to the small sample size, the geographic limitations of the subculture and the non-random selection of some respondents.

Chand,., & Thompson, L. (1997). You have heard this before: Street-involved youth and the service gaps. Vancouver: Interministerial Street Children’s Committee.

The authors of this document were directed by the city of Vancouver’s Social Planning Department to identify “service gaps” for street involved youth in Vancouver, British Columbia. The authors interviewed service providers and reviewed previous studies on street-involved youth. Respondents were encouraged to canvass youth for their input on the interview questions (for this research a street youth is considered someone 12 to 19 years of age who lacks food and shelter and has become involved in Vancouver’s street life). The data reveal several trends with respect to service needs/requests, and the street youth population: a consistently high number of street involved youth, a lack of shelter, more youth using intravenous drugs, “more 14-15 year olds are involved in the sex trade,” and inadequate mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Among the recommendations: more transition and safe houses for street involved youth; a youth-oriented substance abuse program; access to 24 hour services; mental health services; and more s.212(4) charges (legislation criminalizing obtaining or attempting to obtain the sexual services of someone under 18) cases brought to court, “whether or not there is a high probability of conviction.”

City of Burnaby Task Force. (1998). Report of the city of Burnaby task force on the sexual exploitation and prostitution of children and youth. Burnaby: author.

In 1997, the city of Burnaby instructed a task force to develop a strategy to combat the sexual exploitation and prostitution of young people in that city. The task force’s recommendations focus on prevention/education, supports, services and treatment for sexually exploited children and youth, and legal strategies to intervene in the lives of children and youth sexually exploited in prostitution. The task force acknowledges the difficulty with establishing an accurate estimate on the number of youth involved in the sex trade; however, “anecdotal evidence from service providers and youth themselves indicates that Burnaby young people are being recruited into the sex trade.” The task force also asserts that “sexual exploitation in the sex trade is sexual abuse,” and that the law is not a panacea for this phenomenon. Among the recommendations for an action plan: develop community education and awareness campaign to identify children-at-risk and draw attention to recruitment techniques; raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 years of age; initiatives to secure prosecutions against people who sexually exploit children and youth; co-ordination and integration of services; and, the development of services and treatments for sexually exploited children and youth. The task force concludes that implementation of their recommendations will involve discussion and co-operation among “government representatives, service providers, sexually exploited children and youth, and community members.”