Facts about child prostitution

UNICEF estimates that every year 1-2 million children under 18 are exploited sexually in prostitution. In Asia alone, the number comes close to 1 million. The number of children who work in prostitution is largest in India (400-500,000) and in Thailand (200,000).

Sexual exploitation of children is often directly related to abuse in the families, poverty and economic exploitation. Most of the child prostitutes are between 13 and 18 years old - especially girls - from poor country districts or city slums in the developing countries.

A survey conducted by the College of Social Work in Mumbai (Bombay) in India shows that most of these girls:

• come from poor families with many children
• are illiterate
• begin their work as child prostitutes at the age of 16
• are lured into the proffession through false promises of a good job or marriage
• serve between two and seven clients every day
• cannot dispose freely over the money they earn
• are indebted to the brothel-owner
• have venereal diseases and are very likely soon to get AIDS
• would like to leave prostitution but don't know how
  

Source: UNICEF.

Find more facts about child prostitution at : http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.html