Betrayal of Trust: the Involvement of Children in Prostitution

The involvement of children in prostitution is a well known phenomenon but not well understood. the aim of this study was to examine the involvement of children in prostitution. a total of 63 sexually exploited young women participated in this children-centered approach study. both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. respondents’ age ranged from 13 to 18 years old. nearly 89.0 percent of them were 16-18 years old. this study found that the youngest respondent first involvement in prostitution was nine years old. a majority of them entered prostitution at the age of between 13 to17 years old and more than half were 15-16 years of age. the average age of the respondents’ first involvement in prostitution was 15.1 years. three main reasons for their involvement were boyfriends’ deceit, friends’ influence, and personal. the study provides a significant implication to social workers on how they should treat children who are safeguarded from prostitution and living in the rehabilitation centers