Internet impeding crackdown on child prostitution
Jeff Johnson - OneNewsNow - 7/7/2008 4:00:00 AM
Arresting prostitutes used to be a fairly easy task for police. They called the number listed in a telephone directory ad or picked up a so-called streetwalker, and after a brief conversation, the case was made. But the Internet has changed the playing field.
Internet classified sites, such as Craigslist, have made it easier for prostitutes to connect with potential clients and harder for police to do their job. Pat Trueman, special counsel to the Alliance Defense Fund and the former chief child exploitation prosecutor for the Justice Department, says law enforcement officials have found ads for child prostitutes on Craigslist.
"...Now, the problem of child prostitution goes hand-in-hand with adult prostitution," he adds. "Not many people know that most adults who are in prostitution actually started under [age] 18."
Trueman says even if authorities can catch child prostitutes, getting them to walk away from that lifestyle is difficult. Most people who've been involved in prostitution, even after treatment, will return to prostitution," he explains. "When kids get involved, their minds are just developing. Their bodies are developing. And you've got to do major work, psychiatric work on a child, on any person, who's involved in prostitution to keep them away from it," Trueman points out.
Craigslist told CNN that having the ads segregated on their site helps law enforcement track illegal activity. But Trueman argues that Craigslist should shut down the section or be charged with aiding and abetting prostitution.
