"Among children and teens living on the streets in the United States, involvement in commercial sex activity is a problem of epidemic proportion"

I met them about 3 weeks ago when they showed up at one of my haunts looking for some services. At first, I didn't recognize exactly what was going on because it wasn't noticeable. What I mean is, he wasn't speaking "pimp" talk to her, and she certainly wasn't "working." She looked like a typical young lady; clean clothes, hair neatly brushed, light makeup. It wasn't until I asked her a question and she waited until he gave her the nod to answer me that I began to suspect something much uglier was going on. Then I noticed she couldn't look at me. At all. Some folks I run into have a hard time looking me in the eyes, but I'm talking about total aversion here. I don't think she ever looked directly at my face. I didn't see anything else that made me suspicious, and frankly, had I not been told more by those who were around them while I was elsewhere, I probably would not have given it much more thought. "I warned him - 10'll get ya 20" said one dude. "Steve - you gotta stop that shit - that shit ain't right," said another. From an old, "reformed" hooker herself; "he oughta be ashamed of hisseff handlin that lil girl like that right in front of us." He's got her strolling Dickerson down by ....well, I'll tell you another time, if I'm lucky enough to find them and stop it. I'm working with a couple of other folks who have a keen interest as well in putting an end to this slavery. And that's just what it is, you know, child slavery. I don't know what possessed this young lady to up and split her home and go to work for this piece of human garbage,but I'm praying that somewhere there's got to be family members worried sick about this young lady. I don't know if her father has any clue what's going on with his daughter (or for that matter, even knows she exists) but I can tell you this, if that was my daughter, I'd be hunting that man with a determination known only to fathers who have daughters in life or death-sized trouble... I'm going tonight to look for her. The streets turn into another world after dark in those hardcore areas; they're surreal, weird, corrupt and always dangerous when you're looking to play "hard" and/or "ball" with the big boys and girls. I'll let you know if I find her. I'll also let you know if I can do anything about it once I do - and that might just be my biggest problem. Let's hope that if I can get her away from him long enough, maybe she'll crack and ask for help. The hard part for me will be getting her away without giving up my own identity, as I'll lose both the element of surprise and my anonymity in the process, not to mention destroying any chance at seeing them again without having to hunt for them. Furthermore, I don't know whether we can protect her at the level she needs and deserves. I've been told by the others working with me on this that there's a good system in place here in Nashville for girls in her situation, but I'm skeptical, only because I've seen those "good systems" fail miserably before. But we're definitely going to try. She deserves a chance to escape. Every child sex slave deserves that. Whether she uses her chance may be another story. Update - Monday morning (8/6/07): Two nights of cruising and I haven't seen her. I'll try again throughout this week... Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors The trafficking section of this web page provides information on the international problem of cross-border transportation of children for sexual purposes. It is important to note that United States not only faces an influx of international victims of sex trafficking, but also the United States has its own homegrown problem of interstate sex trafficking of minors. Although comprehensive research to document the number of children engaged in prostitution in the United States is lacking, it is estimated that about 293,000 American youth are currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Richard J. Estes and Neil Alan Weiner, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S, Canada and Mexico, University of Pennsylvania, Executive Summary at 11-12 (2001) (available at http://caster.ssw.upenn.edu/~restes/CSEC.htm); see also Mia Spangenberg, Prostituted Youth in New York City: An Overview (available at http://www.ecpatusa.org/child_prosti_us.asp). The majority of American victims of commercial sexual exploitation tend to be runaway or thrown away youth who live on the streets who become victims of prostitution. Id. at 11-12. These children generally come from homes where they have been abused, or from families that have abandoned them, Richard J. Estes and Neil Alan Weiner, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S, Canada and Mexico, University of Pennsylvania, at 3 (2001) [hereinafter Estes Report], and often become involved in prostitution as a way to support themselves financially or to get the things they want or need. Id. Other young people are recruited into prostitution through forced abduction, pressure from parents, or through deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers. Francis T. Miko & Grace Park, Trafficking in Women and Children: The U.S. and International Response, at 7 (Updated July 10, 2003), at http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL30545.pdf. Once these children become involved in prostitution they are often forced to travel far from their homes and as a result are isolated from their friends and family. Id. Few children in this situation are able to develop new relationships with peers or adults other than the person who is victimizing them. Id. The lifestyle of such children revolves around violence, forced drug use and constant threats. Id. Among children and teens living on the streets in the United States, involvement in commercial sex activity is a problem of epidemic proportion. Approximately 55% of street girls engage in formal prostitution. Estes Report, Executive Summary at 7. Of the girls engaged in formal prostitution, about 75% worked for a pimp. Id. Pimp-controlled commercial sexual exploitation of children is linked to escort and massage services, private dancing, drinking and photographic clubs, major sporting and recreational events, major cultural events, conventions, and tourist destinations. Id. About one-fifth of these children become entangled in nationally organized crime networks and are trafficked nationally. Id. at 8. They are transported around the United States by a variety of means – cars, buses, vans, trucks or planes, Id., and are often provided counterfeit identification to use in the event of arrest. Id. The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12-14. Estes Report at 92. It is not only the girls on the streets that are affected -- for boys and transgender youth, the average age of entry into prostitution is 11-13. Id.