Saturday, June 4, 2011

Sexploitation of Children in America

Over 100,000 children are victimized by commercial sexual exploitation in the U.S. alone.  San Francisco is a mecca for human traffickers because of high demand of both sexes and easy access for their market.  Younger girls and boys are preferred.  The average age for entering this sexploitation market pool is approaching 12 years old.

Summertime is especially lucrative for traffickers, with many youth fending for  themselves on the streets.  Runaway children are particularly vulnerable for sex trafficking.  Children who have run away multiple times are at highest risk.  An estimated 33% of them are lured to prostitution within the first 48 hours of leaving home.

San Francisco is a  center city which is often reputed for its international flavor and its beauty.  Any big city is dangerous, with our neighbor seen as a better market.  With bus lines from the North Bay it is a simple step for young children to naively explore the dark side in running awy in a plea for independence.  Strangers forcing survival as luck makes tempting  targets out of our own North Bay children in the sexual human trafficking industry.

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