Social Problem Of Teenage Prostitution example essay topic

Introduction Child prostitution in America is increasingly popular. It is necessary to change this situation, because it is immoral. Child prostitution is one of the most serious social problems in America. History Of Prostitution Beginning about 1910, religious and civic organizations in the U.S. developed a nationwide campaign against both the immorality of prostitution and its relationship to sexually transmitted disease. On the federal level, Congress passed the White Slave Traffic Act forbidding the interstate transport of women and girls for immoral purposes. On the local level, many anti-prostitution laws were passed.

Some laws reflected the belief that prostitutes were misguided, coerced unfortunates who needed rehabilitation and protection from procurers. Others represented the view that prostitutes were morally or mentally inferior human beings. Although both kinds of laws still exist, the latter type is enforced today. Prostitution in the U.S. in the late 20th century takes various forms. Some prostitutes, or call girls, operate out of their own apartments and maintain a list of regular customers. Some follow convention circuits or work in certain resorts areas, such as Las Vegas, Nevada, where demand for their services is high.

Others work in so-called massage parlors, a newer version of the old-time brothel. The majority are "streetwalkers", soliciting, or being solicited by, customers on city streets. Increasing numbers are young runaways to the city who turn to the streets for survival. Because the statues are enforced in such a way as to punish overtness and visibility rather than any specific act, almost all of the prostitutes arrested each year are streetwalkers. Customers, although legally culpable, are rarely arrested. Until the 1960's, attitudes toward prostitution were based on the Judeo-Christian view of immortality.

Researchers have recently attempted to separate moral issues from the reality of prostitution. The rationale for its continued illegal status in the U.S. rests on three assumptions: prostitution is responsible for much ancillary crime; and prostitution is the cause of an increase in sexually transmitted disease. These assumptions are now the question. Recognized experts have pointed out that prostitution is no longer an attractive investment for organized crime because it is difficult to control, is too visible, and affords too small a return compared to the severe penalties for procuring. It is obvious that ancillary crime-lar ency, robbery, assault, and misuse of narcotics does occur in conjunction with prostitution, especially when a streetwalker is involved. Whether it is rational to make one activity criminal in order to reduce or control another merits serious inquiry.

Finally, public-health officials indicate that prostitutes account for only a small percentage of the sexually transmitted disease cases in the U.S. Greater sexual freedom has made young people the major source of such cases. Furthermore, strong arguments have been made in support of legalizing prostitution. Decriminalization would free the courts and police from handling victimless crime, allowing these forces more time to deal with serious and violent crimes. The constitutional question of violation of equal protection has also been raised, since the law penalizes prostitutes but not their customers. In the U.S. today, prostitution is legal only in the state of Nevada (at the option of each county government).

Polls have shown that approximately half of the U.S. population would favor decriminalization of prostitution throughout the country. When Did Teenage Prostitution Became A Social Problem? Teenage Prostitution, known to some as the world's "oldest" profession, traces far back into history. A sign of prostitution is even evident back in biblical times. The labeling of teenage prostitution did not become a social problem until recently. Since the 1970's, teenage prostitution has become of national interest.

Public response to the issue had become of high interest. In the spring of 1977, congressional hearing were held on the issue with resulted in the development of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act. The issue of teenage prostitution began to take interest on both the state and federal judicial levels. In trying to explore the social problem of teenage prostitution, we must figure out why teenage prostitution stood in the forefront of public attention during the 1970's. Several social movements in the 1960's and 1970's contributed to the emergence of teenage prostitution as a social problem. The hippie movement of the 1960's, the problem of runaway youth in the late 1960's, the recognition of child abuse and sexual abuse of children, and the child's rights movement helped develop the foundation for the recognition of teenage prostitution as a social problem.

The first social movement that contributed to teenage prostitution becoming a social problem is the hippie movement. A district in the San Francisco area called "the Haight" began the hippie era. From 1966 to 1968 thousands of people flocked to this small urban town. These young people developed their own ideology with included sexual permissiveness. This ideology led to the problem of venereal disease and drug abuse.

During this time, a drain was put on society. The young people slept in public places and wandered in the streets. They were constantly in search for everyday necessities. By 1968, most hippies had fled the Haight and relocated to other areas. The Phenomenon of runaways is also attributed to the social problem of teenage prostitution. Runaways began attracting attention during the end of the 1960's.

During the hippie ear, many juveniles ran away to different urban areas. From 1967 to 1972, occurred a dramatic increase in the number of runaway youth. There were 600,000 runaways in 1971 and 1,000,000 in 1973. Runaways gained so much national concern that congressional hearing were held on the subject. In 1974, the Runaway Youth Act was signed into law. The Act was designed to provide assistance to communities and nonprofit agencies to develop facilities for dealing with the needs of runaway youth outside of the juvenile justice system.

As teenage runaways began to gain a lot of attention, their lifestyles on the streets also came into focus. Runaways often found themselves without food and shelter. They might find shelter with strangers in exchange of services including drug dealing and prostitution. Rape and prostitution are only two of the practices experienced by runaway youth living on the streets. In the early 1970's, congressional hearings liked runaways to prostitution. It was further documented in the Runaway Youth Act hearings.

Such attention helped make exploitation of children a topic of national concern. The acknowledgment of teenage prostitution as a social problem also parallels the discovery of child abuse and child sexual abuse. In the 1960's, physical abuse of children captured public attention. The issue of sexual abuse occurred a little bit later. The definition of child abuse is characterized as the intentional physical injury. It took a while before people began to realize that child abuse is a part of sexual abuse.

By 1974, federal and state legislation acknowledged sexual abuse as a social problem. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was adopted which allowed states to qualify for monies to aid in the prevention and treatment of abuse. With the help of the justice system and other key people, sexual abuse helped to focus attention on teenage prostitution. The children's movement also helped to address the problem of teenage prostitution. From the mid-1960's to the mid-1970's, laws on children's rights began to increase. The idea that children are individuals who possess constitutional rights came into effect.

The children's movement helped to crack down on teenage prostitution my enforcing laws that would catch the offenders who are exploiting children.