Sex Trade among Minors in the United States - Research Paper Example

Sex trade among Minors in the United s College: Sex trade among Minors in the United s The Nature of the Problem The prevalence of child prostitution in the United States is an issue that has garnered a lot attention in the United States. In the past 15 years, the United States has recorded an increase in the number of children that are entering the sex trade. While some minors are victims of human trafficking, it is clear that a good number are willing sex workers that have voluntarily entered into the industry. Notably, the US has about 300, 000 minor sex workers which amount to about 3% of the total world children population in the world trade (Stransky & Finkelhor, 2008). While the government has put a lot of efforts to curb the problem, there is evidence that the problem is growing. Evidently, sex prostitution among children between the age of 11 and 14 years is a major cost to the economy in America. Moreover, the social implication of sex trade has far reaching effects to the community, hence a cause for alarm in the country. The economic impact of juvenile prostitution has many implications to the future of the country. First, majority of the children who engage in prostitution are at school age and but do not attend learning. Consequently, close to over 300, 000 children in this trade lack the basic level education and have minimal chances of accessing white collar jobs in the future. Therefore, sex trade is reaping young talent and reducing the work output in the US, hence contributing to the shortage of productive generation. Notably, the US employment sector is dominated by old people above 45 years, a situation that results from lack of young productive talent. Therefore, sex trade is one of the causes of shortage of essential in the US, which in turn contributes to economic stagnancy (Stransky & Finkelhor, 2008). Besides, juvenile prostitutes have high chances of engaging in drug trafficking and crime in future. Therefore, an increase in the level of child prostitution in the US is a probable cause for increase in drug trafficking and the crime level in America. Apart from the impact of sex trade to those involved, there is evidence that this problem impacts on the secondary population. First, sex trade is an issue that affects the greater society and results to family instability. In areas where child prostitution is rampant, there are high chances that there are family wrangles. As the supply of female prostitutes increases, families are affected when either party within a marriage institution opt for the young children. The increase in HIV and STDs prevalence has led to the idea that young children are safe to practice prostitution because they are least affected by the two diseases. The implication is that child prostitution has contributed to an increase in the level of prostitution and family breakages in the community (Stransky & Finkelhor, 2008). In addition, the community is bound to experience higher levels of crime when sex trade is practiced within nearby areas. In a nutshell, child prostitution has negative impacts on the society including higher level of crime as well as increased rate of prostitution. From a critical perspective, child prostitution is a problem that affects the entire society and its impacts are far reaching. While the government has declared sex trade illegal within the child protection act, the problem has persisted and continues to threaten economic and social stability in America. As result, this topic has become a critical matter, that majority of the scholars have declared as a matter of urgency. The government and the society requires to understand the problem to ensure that they device possible measures to prevent the problem. The fact that previous measures have failed may be a reason for condemning the government policies as weak and ineffective in resolving a social issue. On this ground, there is need to understand the problem if there is hope for attaining zero figures of juvenile prostitution. Theoretical Background of the Problem There are a number of theories that have attempted to explain the possible cause for an increase in the problem of child sex trade in the world and specifically in America. The psychological theories note that increase in sex trade is an outward manifestation of child exposure to abusive family structures. From statistics, it is evident that about 40% of the child sex workers are subjects of sex harassment in the society. According to global statistics, the child sexual abuse is about 19.7 for females and 7.9% for males. In the US only, the prevalence rate is at 10.1% and the figure has remained relatively constant since the early 1990s. On the older population, over 20% of females and 10% of males in America have suffered child abuse at their young age (Lutya, 2012). According to these theories, children suffer traumatic stress when they are encounter such cases in their young age and hence may decide to engage in sex trade voluntarily. From a close analysis, the number of cases of child sexual harassment has increased in the past two decades and this could be the possible reason for a simultaneous increase in sex trade in America. On the other hand, the demand theory ties increase in child prostitution to the increase in demand for juvenile prostitutes. As the demand for young prostitutes increase, the child traffickers increase their hunt for vulnerable children and introduce them to the trade as they earn profit from this trade (Lutya, 2012). One of the causes for increase in the demand for young prostitutes is the prevalence of HIV and STDs among prostitutes. As this perception prevails, clients are targeting young prostitutes who are presumed to have lower rates of infection. Therefore, the demand theory illustrates that the demand for young juvenile prostitutes has resulted to increase in the supply population. Therefore, just like any business, the demand and supply balance applies in the child prostitution. Lastly, the rational decision theory attempts to explain why some children voluntarily decide to enter into this trade. The rational decision theory stipulates that human beings are rational and they make to decision to take a certain path depending on the benefits they accrue from that direction (Lutya, 2012). In the recent past, there has been an increase in the benefits accrued from child sex and this serves as an attraction feature for young teenagers. During a time of economic hardships, child prostitution has become an alternative source of income for those who an economically distressed. Evidently, majority of voluntary child sex workers come from poor families that cannot afford a living during harsh economic times. Evidently, sex traders can generate over $100, 000 per year from this trade. From this perspective, sex trade can be an alternative source of income and this explains why children are making decisions to enter into this trade voluntarily. Analysis of the War against Child Sex Trade In the last two decades, the government has put much effort in reducing child prostitution in America. One of the strategies that the American government has used is the installation of government policies that protect the rights of the children. In the child protection Act, child prostitution is illegal, and minors below 18 years are cited as victims of sexual harassment (Dingwall, Eekelaar & Murray, 2014). While this law, safeguards the rights of the under-aged, there is evidence of flaw in its application. Research shows that majority of juvenile sex workers are treated as criminals rather than victims. Apart from this fact, there is limited application of this law as corrupt officers opt to take bribe from children traffickers as well from sex workers. Therefore, the government policies have remained mere paperwork that has yet to be implemented. Another group that has worked tirelessly in the transformation of the society is the Concerned Women of America (CWA). This is an activist group that has vividly fought against child prostitution by advocating for government policy reforms and better management of the problem (Dingwall, Eekelaar & Murray, 2014). Over time, they have supported that the government should fight the demand for sex workers by arresting those who pay for these services. To begin with, the have express the need for the society to join in the war against child prostitution. This can be done by exposing those who demand for such services by posting their pictures on police websites. Secondly, when arrested, such clients should be compelled to give names of child traffickers which would lead to more arrests. This way, the government would work hand in hand with the society to contain the problem that is threatening the future of the country. Solutions to the Problem of Child Sex The persistence of the problem of sex trade among under-age population has demanded for new measures to control the problem. Since previous measures have failed to control the problem, the government should reinvent the wheel and come up with effective strategies to reduce child prostitution. Evidently, the government has focused more on strategies to manage the problem while ignoring preventive approaches. Therefore, there is need for the government to understand the root cause of the problem and design preventive strategies to reduce the persistent problem. This revelation shows that this problem demands a more integrative approach to end the problem that has both social and economic impacts. To secure the future of our children we need to launch a war that incorporates the community, the government, and other community support organizations to eliminate the problem. The government should strive to contain the problem of child sexual abuse within families if they can manage the problem of juvenile prostitution (Dingwall, Eekelaar & Murray, 2014). The government must create awareness on the need for the society to report cases of abuse to assist the government in reacting to these issues. Secondly, the government should put in place effective measures to protect the vulnerable groups entering this trade voluntarily. First, the government must address the economic gaps that exist in the country to prevent children from choosing this path as an alternative source of income. Going by the demand theory, it would be crucial for the government to control demand for child sex workers to curb the problem (Kelemen & Johansson, 2013). One approach would be to provide security within the streets to ensure that children are not vulnerable to traffickers. Reports show that one out of three children who walk alone in the street is in risk of being lured into sex trade. Children traffickers have perceived this as a fruitful business, and hence are hunting for such children to increase the supply. An average pimp has about 4 to 6 children sex workers who contribute to their income. Therefore, providing security would be a great way to prevent traffickers from taking advantage of such children. To achieve effective security, the government must co-work with the community to ensure that such offenders are flushed out and face the full consequences of the law. Therefore, an integrative approach to fighting sex trade would be essential in guaranteeing a successful society in the US. References Dingwall, R., Eekelaar, J., & Murray, T. (2014). The protection of children: State intervention and family life (Vol. 16). Quid Pro Books. Kelemen, K., & Johansson, M. C. (2013). Still Neglecting the Demand that Fuels Human Trafficking: A Study Comparing the Criminal Laws and Practice of Five European States on Human Trafficking, Purchasing Sex from Trafficked Adults and from Minors. European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law & Criminal Justice, 21(3/4), 247-289. doi:10.1163/15718174-21042030 Lutya, T. M. (2012). An Integrated Theoretical Framework to Describe Human Trafficking of Young Women and Girls for Involuntary Prostitution. Retrieved from :< http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/36964.pdf> Stransky, M., & Finkelhor, D. (2008). How many juveniles are involved in prostitution in the US. Durham, NH: Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. Read More