295674
Fighting the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in the United States
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Young people are deceived, manipulated or coerced into the commercial sex industry every day. It is reported that the average age of entry into prostitution nationally is 12‐15 years old. Pimps systematically target vulnerable girls by frequenting locations where they congregate malls, schools, bus and train stations, group homes and social networking sites. Exploited girls are often first part of the child protection system, victimized as a result of familial physical and sexual abuse. Later these same girls are labeled delinquents in the juvenile justice system, criminalized for the exploitation they have suffered. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the current realities of commercial sexual exploitation of girls and think strategically about the need for policies and programming that reflect the realities of this traumatized yet resilient population.
Learning Areas:
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
List two possible interventions to address the exploitation of young people coerced into the commercial sex industry
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: received graduate degrees from Boston University in both social work and public health; In 2003 I co-founded the Justice Resource Institute. The My Life My Choice project based at JRI, focuses on prevention/early identification of commercial sexual exploitation of adolescent girls.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
