| Kid Prostitutes: Early intervention is needed 04/01/2001
Third of three parts
Local police receive thousands of runaway reports each year. Many involve children who have been sexually exploited. But these kids are often thrown away, discarded by the lack of urgency afforded their problems.
Social workers put the blame largely on parents who think that their child is just going through a wild phase. By the time parents seek counseling, problems are entrenched.
Others could be doing more, too. Police are not bringing enough children to the county's Letot Center. Referrals to the female residential program of the nonprofit Salesmanship Club also are down. Those resources are underused while runaways stay on the street.
Law officers may not recognize female runaways or may be loath to take the time to drive them to a program on the other side of town and do the paperwork to check them in.
In other programs, even when adolescent girls participate, the attrition rate is high. Girls Inc., for example, serves a thousand girls in its centers – but only 16 are high school seniors.
Parents, law enforcement agencies and social service providers all need to do more for these kids. And they are, after all, just kids.
Some things can be done.
• Raise awareness.
While the last decade saw an increased understanding of the plight of battered spouses, the next should focus on understanding sexually exploited youths. The psychology is similar. Law officers need to be trained to identify exploited youths, and address them as victims – not just delinquents. To assist police, Letot should consider designating additional intake locations.
• Target the exploiter.
Child advocates such as state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, should consider refining state laws. Now a child has to be officially on runaway status before an older acquaintance can be charged for harboring a runaway. Children who drift in and out of their homes may never be considered runaways.
More support for local law enforcement efforts and stiffer penalties for pushers/pimps should be explored.
• Get help to troubled youths and families.
Help lines need better advertising. The National Runaway Hotline (1-800-231-6946) can arrange for young people to get free transportation home. The Texas Runaway Hotline (1-888-580-HELP) and the Texas Youth Hotline (1-800-210-2278) provide phone counseling.
Police should have bilingual cards telling parents of the urgency of keeping kids off the streets and listing community resources. But, unfortunately, as Detective Joe Canibano of Dallas' child sex exploitation unit laments, "There's absolutely nothing geared to treating sexually exploited children."
The general services, like family counseling, which might help, are not being used because often families don't know the names of the services or where to find them. Legislators need to help fund the newly authorized but unfunded 211 information and referral services.
The county should do a pilot project. It now does little with the thousands of runaways who are not brought to Letot facilities. The county, along with law enforcement and/or social service agencies, should contact a sample of runaways returned home, persistently offer phone counseling and connections to community services, then measure outcomes. The pilot project could involve the development of special programs, perhaps in conjunction with battered women's shelters.
• Stress prevention.
If all parents were loving, attentive and skilled, there would be fewer runaways. But that's not the case.
Sgt. Brenda Nichols, who deals with runaways for the Dallas police, says, "There's a total lack of parenting skills out there. They don't know how to parent and often they don't want to parent."
Schools need to be teaching life skills, including decision-making, sex education and knowledge of child development. Successful programs can delay teen births and improve parenting skills.
Even "good" parents sometimes need help. Research has shown parent support groups to be effective. Churches, schools and nonprofit agencies can organize neighborhood-based groups.
• Keep kids productively involved.
Some Dallas public schools have not taken truancy, an early warning sign, seriously enough. The current rollout of a centralized, automated system for issuing truancy notices will force the issue.
Most runnaways seek love and attention. These youth can find some of the missing affirmation through legitimate work. The Volunteer Center matches kids to nonprofit agencies. However, paying jobs are hard to find for young teens. Some opportunities exist through the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program; more businesses need to sign up for this program, which trains young people and finds appropriate jobs (call 214-944-1940).
Community colleges should consider adding pre-college courses to allow qualified younger students the opportunity for specialized study in things that do interest them – from computers to cosmetology.
• Teach the reality about street life.
Kids at Letot found the glamour of street life dispelled by female federal prisoners. The feds should broaden this program.
Amy's Friends, a local ministry supporting women who want to escape the adult entertainment business, wants to start a prevention program. It should explore street outreach in coordination with youth shelters including CASA and Promise House.
The issue of kid prostitution is complex. These kids, who often don't understand they are being exploited, have few advocates. Some community group needs to further study and champion their protection. The Dallas Commission on Children and Youth? The Mental Health Association? The Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center? Anyone?
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