The selling of innocence: The gestalt of danger in the lives of youth prostitutes

Schissel, Bernard; Fedec, Kari

doi:10.3138/cjcrim.41.1.33

Cited by 28 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Lowman and Fraser (1995) found the average age of entry was 16.5 years. Links between childhood physical and sexual abuse, running away from home, and subsequent involvement in the sex trade have been consistently shown Janice Du Mont and Margaret J. McGregor 89 (e.g., Greene, Ennett, & Ringwalt, 1999;McClanahan, McClelland, Abram, & Teplin, 1999;Potter et al, 1999;Schissel & Fedec, 1999;Silbert & Pines, 1981). Moreover, younger sex workers may be at increased risk for sexual violence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Research has indicated that most persons enter the sex trade before their 18th birthday (Currie et al, 1995;Schissel & Fedec, 1999). The Committee on Sexual Offenses against Children and Youth (1984) reported that almost half of respondents began working in the industry before the age of 15.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One well-established precursor to prostitution is childhood sexual abuse, with many studies suggesting that between approximately 50% and 80% of sex workers have such histories (Bagley, 1999;Brannigan & Van Brunschot, 1997;Currie et al, 1995;Farley, Baral, Kiremire, & Sezgin, 1998;Farley & Barkan, 1998;Nadon, Koverola, & Schludermann, 1998;Nixon, Tutty, Downe, Gorkoff, & Ursel, 2002;Schissel & Fedec, 1999;Silbert, 1982;Silbert & Pines, 1981). Equally disturbing is that many are revictimized upon entering the sex trade (Currie et al, 1995;Farley & Barkan, 1998;Miller, 1993;Schissel & Fedec, 1999;Silbert, 1988;Valera et al, 2001). Both types of sexual victimization have been linked to high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among sex workers, and particularly to dissociative and numbing symptoms Farley & Barkan, 1998;Farley & Kelly, 2000;Valera et al, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual Assault in the Lives of Urban Sex Workers: A Descriptive and Comparative Analysis

Mont

McGregor

2004

Women & Health

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This exploratory study contributes to the sparse literature on sexually assaulted sex workers. We examined 462 sexual assault cases seen at an emergency department-based sexual assault service and reported to the police between 1993 and 1997. More than one fifth of victims were sex workers. We compared them to other victims on victim characteristics, assault characteristics, and medical-legal findings. Relative to other victims, sex workers were younger, had lower incomes, and were more likely to be heroin and/or cocaine users. They suffered a greater number of injuries and forensic samples collected from their bodies were more likely to test positive for sperm and/or semen. These victims were also less likely to have been using alcohol and/or marijuana prior to the assault and to be emotionally expressed during the medical- legal examination. The substantial proportion of sex workers in the study population suggests that attention to their particular needs should be an important part of hospital-based sexual assault services. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual Assault in the Lives of Urban Sex Workers: A Descriptive and Comparative Analysis

Mont

McGregor

2004

Women & Health

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“…Whereas a connection between childhood sexual abuse and entry into prostitution has certainly been proposed, others suggest that it should not be regarded as causal (Brannigan & Gibbs Van Brunschot, 1997;Mathews, 1989). Rather, the intersection of abusive experiences within the family, running away, a lack of viable alternatives, and the failure of the child welfare system cumulatively create a situation that sets the stage for children to become involved in prostitution (Chesney-Lind & Sheldon, 1992;Mathews, 1989;Schissel & Fedec, 1999). Finally, several authors have argued that the level of sexual abuse among prostituted youth is no different from the general population (Badgley, 1984;Brannigan & Fleischman, 1989).…”

Section: Violence In the Lives Of Those Sexually Exploited Through Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Everyday Occurrence

Nixon¹,

Tutty

Downe

et al. 2002

Violence Against Women

125

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This article reports the results of qualitative interviews with 47 women involved in prostitution from three western Canadian provinces. More than two thirds of the women had become involved at age 15 or younger. The respondents described high rates of violence perpetrated against them. They reported considerable childhood sexual abuse, most often by a family member or by caretakers while they were living in foster care or group homes. The young women continued to experience violence as prostitutes so commonplace that it almost seemed "normal." They were victimized by pimps, johns, other prostituted women, intimate partners, and representatives from mainstream society and members of the police. This article describes their experiences of violence, the associated health problems, the protective strategies they used, and their attempts to leave the streets. The conclusion suggests ways in which agencies and policies could better address the violence experienced by these young women.

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“…17 Numerous research groups have examined the antecedents to prostitution. 11,16,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Several important associations between life events and prostitution have been observed. For girls, abuse in childhood, including sexual and physical abuse; substance use; and homelessness have been linked with entry into prostitution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Initiation into Prostitution among Female Street Youths

Weber

2004

Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Me

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Prostitution among female street youths represents an important risk factor for several health problems. Little is known about the incidence and determinants of prostitution in this vulnerable population, and no data have been previously reported based on a longitudinal follow-up study. The objective of this study was to determine predictors of initiation into prostitution among female street youths. Female youths aged 14 to 25 years were enrolled in the Montreal Street Youth Cohort. They completed a baseline and at least one follow-up questionnaire between January 1995 and March 2000. Girls who reported never having engaged in prostitution at baseline were followed prospectively to estimate the incidence and predictors of prostitution. Of the 330 female street youths enrolled as of September 2000 in the cohort, 148 reported no history of involvement in prostitution at baseline and completed at least one follow-up questionnaire. Of these 148 girls, 33 became involved in prostitution over the course of the study (mean follow-up 2.4 years), resulting in an incidence rate of 11.1/100 person-years. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed having a female sex partner (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-9.1) was an independent predictor of initiation into prostitution after controlling for having been on the street at age 15 years or younger (AHR 1.8, 95% CI 0.9-3.8), using acid or phencyclidine (PCP; AHR 2.0, 95% CI 0.9-4.6), using heroin (AHR 1.9, 95% CI 0.7-5.5), the use of drugs greater than twice per week (AHR 1.9, 95% CI 0.9-4.2), and injection drug use (AHR 0.8, 95% CI 0.3-2.4). The incidence of prostitution in female street youths was elevated. Having a female sex partner was a strong predictor of initiating involvement in prostitution.

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The selling of innocence: The gestalt of danger in the lives of youth prostitutes

Cited by 28 publications

References 0 publications

Sexual Assault in the Lives of Urban Sex Workers: A Descriptive and Comparative Analysis

Sexual Assault in the Lives of Urban Sex Workers: A Descriptive and Comparative Analysis

The Everyday Occurrence

Predictors of Initiation into Prostitution among Female Street Youths

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