willing participants in prostituti<strong>on</strong>. Therefore, a 13-year-old girl who is in a bro<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>l inCalcutta will be described as a “victim <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> child sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong>/trafficking” as will <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>middle class 13-year-old from Boise, Idaho, whereas <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> 13-year-old from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> projects inBedford-Stuyvesant, New York, will be described as a “teen prostitute” and will becriminalized as such.This dichotomy is fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r c<strong>on</strong>fused by well-intenti<strong>on</strong>ed advocates and service providerswho, in an effort to bring much-deserved attenti<strong>on</strong> to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issue, separate victims intopalatable categories for public c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong>. Because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this distincti<strong>on</strong>, low-incomechildren and youth in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> U.S. who are sexually exploited and trafficked are criminalized,marginalized, and stigmatized and are not afforded <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same protecti<strong>on</strong>s, public supportor sympathy as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir more socio-ec<strong>on</strong>omically advantaged or foreign counterparts. Inadditi<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> attributi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> blame to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong> victim and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> punitivemeasures against her c<strong>on</strong>veniently remove <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> need to address <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> larger social, racial andec<strong>on</strong>omic factors that lead to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> exploitati<strong>on</strong> and trafficking <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> American children andyouth.In internati<strong>on</strong>al exploitati<strong>on</strong> and trafficking <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se men are also viewed as “o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r,” bad“foreign” men who prey <strong>on</strong> children to satisfy <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir primitive lusts. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> U.S. however,exploiters, and especially customers, who are <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> never-ending demand side to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>supply, cannot be categorized as such. They are no l<strong>on</strong>ger <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> “bogey-men,” Chinesemafia, Thai slave traders, Japanese pedophiles, but ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r men who live and work in ourcommunities: fa<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs, bro<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs, s<strong>on</strong>s, doctors, mailmen, teachers, lawyers, clergy, andbus-drivers; men who represent all walks <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> life, backgrounds, occupati<strong>on</strong>s and socialstatus. To truly address sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> U.S., a closer look would need to betaken at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> exploiters and purchasers (overwhelmingly male) <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>mselves.It is clear that merely addressing <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> issue <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong> in a vacuum will notsuffice; sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong> is intrinsically linked to racism, poverty, gender–basedviolence, and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> criminalizati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> youth. All <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se factors must be an integral part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>any discussi<strong>on</strong>, advocacy work or direct service programming that involves sexualexploitati<strong>on</strong>. To take sexual exploitati<strong>on</strong> out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> its historical and societal c<strong>on</strong>text will<strong>on</strong>ly fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r separate those deemed worthy to be c<strong>on</strong>sidered victims. Clearly tackling<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se huge social justice issues is a daunting task, yet imperative.Preventi<strong>on</strong> efforts must focus not <strong>on</strong>ly <strong>on</strong> educating youth about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> dangers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> predatorsbut <strong>on</strong> building safe, productive communities and families. Interventi<strong>on</strong> must not <strong>on</strong>lytreat <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> victims but create viable educati<strong>on</strong>al and vocati<strong>on</strong>al opportunities for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>irfuture. Advocates must not ignore <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> elements <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong>s that may makepeople uncomfortable but must address instituti<strong>on</strong>al racism, media bias, and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> linksbetween poverty and exploitati<strong>on</strong>. Most importantly we ensure that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> voices andexperiences <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> youth <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>mselves are integral in this work and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir experiences areafforded <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> value that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y deserve. <str<strong>on</strong>g>Final</str<strong>on</strong>g>ly we must change our policies and laws thatcriminalize sexually exploited youth and begin <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> work <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> social change by treating<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m, by law, all as victims.60
Rachel LloydGirls Educati<strong>on</strong>al and Mentoring Services, Inc. (GEMS)61
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