Out of the many social problems in the world today, teen prostitution is one that is a serious one that afflicts society negatively. Many young teens, prior to their age of consent are involved in sexual activities and practices where they are acting as the prostitutes to serve their various needs. Prostitution in itself is a stigmatized term, and the act of prostitution is disliked in society. The act of prostitution when carried out amongst adults is recognized not as much of a problem as it is for teenagers or children. But it is surprising to discover that many teenagers are involved in prostitution that is forced because of many reasons and they are caught up with it due to psychological, social and moral reasons.
According to a survey, over 650,000 American teenagers are involved in prostitution. This engages 3.5 % of the population of youth that is involved in prostitution, and this is not a small number. The reason stands that when teenagers are once involved in such activities, it is very difficult for them to rebound themselves and become a part of their old lives again. (Chavarria, 2013). Unless they are not admitted to rehabilitation facilities or provided the correct guidance and helped in the preliminary stages of their activity, then it can become very difficult to help them settle in the real world. Prostitution in teenagers may be influenced by certain factors. (Riesman, 2009).
The foremost factor is the financial one. This financial factor too, however, is triggered by other illicit needs like drugs. A large population of teenagers is involved in prostitution due to the lack of money needed to buy drugs hence they need to get into physical relations with random strangers so they can be able to feed this unnecessary urge to buy drugs. Moreover, once they are under the stimulation of drugs and everything turns out to be fine for them, teens find no harm in resuming prostitution to feed their need. (Rosen, 2008).
The other factor is a lack of love and abandonment. There are many teenagers in the present day that come from broken homes, divorced parents, foster homes, or they are kept as stepchildren- all such relations where they are deprived of love and care from close relatives. This leaves in them a gap which is a black hole of craving for attention. Moreover, as teenagers, they are experiencing a time in their life when the emotions of love and sexual desire are new to them. Thus, when they come across an individual, even a stranger, who is willing to love them even for the sake of money in return, they agree to the offer without reluctance. Many of them might not even regret the act because they are so wholly fed up with the notion of being neglected and ignored by a family that they would not feel remorse over sharing intimacy with a stranger. This progresses with the passage of time, and they become dependent upon love from strangers to fulfill the gap that is present inside of them. (Riesman, 2009).
Homelessness and poverty are other factors. Many teenagers are orphans, and they have don't have any means of sustenance. They are too young to find jobs that will serve their immediate purpose moreover even if they do work; the money is never enough. Thus, they are forced into prostitution which pays them well, and they can carry on well for some time in life. Some of the children are those that come from abusive homes. They have either been victims of domestic violence at home at the hands of their parents or guardians, or they have been physically abused or molested by a family which makes them take the path in life that would free them from these atrocities. They run away from their homes in pursuit of a better life, but this ends in the tragedy. Many end up in the tangles of prostitution, and they are guided by pimps who make sure they earn enough and get to the right customers. (Chavarria, 2013).
Another major reason is peer pressure and influence by friends. Many teens are pressured by their friends especially those in high school who persuade them into experiencing something new in life. Many juvenile teens readily agree to the notion because they wish to remain a part of the in the group and not be dissuaded by them. Some teens are even lulled into prostitution by strangers on the internet, in shopping malls and even mere acquaintances. These people then treat the teens like they are a part of their family, and they are made completely at home with their surroundings. This encourages the teen that whatever he has gotten into is not that wrong, and after they are involved in the business, they feel they are doing the right thing. (Rosen, 2008).
The consequences, however, are devastating. The amount of teens suffering from sexually transmitted diseases is too high. The major reason for it stands to be prostitution. Teens don’t know any better, and they get involved with strange people and when this habit is mixed with drug addiction, then the chances of getting STDs are higher than ever. Many female teenage prostitutes get pregnant and sometimes when not being able to have an abortion they have to go through the task of giving birth to an illegitimate child at a very young age which changes many things for them. Moreover, it is also true that many teens, especially females might get murdered and harmed seriously in this business and it is completely unsafe. Surveys also suggest that more males than females are involved in teenage prostitution, and this also becomes a major reason for the spread of STDs. (Chavarria, 2013).
Therefore, teen prostitution is a social predicament that afflicts a large population of teenagers who get involved due to many reasons such as abandonment, financial reasons, drug addiction, and influence by friends and escape from violence. However they are damaged equally in the long haul, physically and emotionally, and teen prostitution can only be overcome by giving attention to teens and helping them with rehabilitative services.
References
Chavarria, Maria. (2013). “ Teen Prostitution.” Retrieved from
http://teenprostitution1.blogspot.com/
Riesman, Suzanne. (2009). “The scary statistics of teenage prostitution.” BlogHer. Retrieved
Rosen, David. (2008). “Teen prostitution in America.” CounterPunch.org. Retrieved from
http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/08/02/teen-prostitution-in-america/
