Operation Cross Country,an attempt by the federal government to remove child prostitutes from the streets, has met with what some would call moderate success. In the sweep reported on February 23, FBI had "rescued" 48 teenage prostitutes from the streets.
Operation Cross Country also has a Chicago connection. While the national sting was able to remove 48 teenage girls from the streets, the Chicago sting was less successful, arresting 44 adults. Of the 44 adults arrested, 5 were charged with running prostitution rings, 34 were charged with prostitution, and 5 were charged with being customers of child prostitutes.
FBI Director Robert Mueller stated: "We may not be able to return their innocence, but we can remove them from this cycle of abuse and violence." He went on to state that most of the teenage girls, ranging in age from 13 to 17, will be placed in child protection agencies.
In the AP article about the federal sting, FBI Deputy Assistant Daniel Roberts stated: "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.
The interesting question arises: Does Mueller honestly believe that removing these kids from the streets will permanently remove them from "the cycle of abuse and violence?" Does he honestly feel that placing them in child protection agencies will completely erase their past experiences? If so, he is sorely mistaken.
Particularly if these children are "throwaway" kids as Roberts states, it is more likely than not that once they are removed from the streets, and the pimps they "love" (more likely a mixture of adoration and fear), they will return to the streets as soon as possible. Many have nowhere else to go.
In her article, "Teaching Prostitution Seriously," 4 Buff. Crim. L. Rev. 709 (2000-2001) Beverly Balos discusses how the criminal justice system is slowly becoming more responsive to the issues of violence against women.
What is interesting to a female law student enrolled in a sex crimes seminar is the lack of discussion centered on child prostitution. Many discussions will be held on general prostitution (about adult women) or child molestation, but not many discuss the combination of the two, particularly implications on children, including the effects of their previous histories of domestic abuse, sexual molestation, etc. that may lead to their entance into child prostitution.
While the FBI sting is a step in the right direction, it is a small step that will have no significant impact unless the charges against the adults are pursued. Unless these offenders receive the harshest punishments available, specifically the racketeering and conspiracy charges that the AP article mentions, the cycle of abuse and violence will not end. Pimps will always be able to find young, impressionable, "throwaway"children with nowhere else to go.
Thoughtful post. I believe the issue has been addressed on the blog sometime in the past in relation to the state of NY. IIRC, the issue is that when we talk about "child" prostitution we are not talking, for the vast majority of the cases, about pre-teens or even early teens. Most are 15-18. This makes it harder to determine the line between victim and criminal. The age of consent varies from state to state and a teen that is viewed as a "victim" in one state would be seen as a "criminal" in another. "Teen" and "child" are loose terms whose legal meaning can and does vary. Unfortunately, important nuances often get lost in the discussion. As a result, I think it is easy to conjure up a false image of the problem.
As for the causes of teen prostitution, that too is a complex issue. While it is undoubtedly true that some of these kids have turned to turning tricks because they are effectively abandoned by society and have few options, its plain error to suggest that all or even a majority of these kids do so for this reason. While I don't know the stories of the 48 "rescued" women, I would honestly be shocked if they all are the result of a "cycle of abuse and violence."
Posted by: Daniel | February 26, 2009 at 08:59 PM