Teen Prostitution In MN

At Source, our mission is to be a friend and a voice to at-risk and alienated young people. We see deep emotional and physical wounds. Often these wounds are the result of sexual brokenness. The sex trade is a fast growing industry worldwide, and recently Minnesota has garnered national attention for the booming teen prostitution problem in our own backyard. National magazines such as Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and Christianity Today have all published articles in fall of 2003 detailing the exportation of Minnesota girls all over the country to work as prostitutes. Two local news stations and Oprah have run stories as well. Pimps in Las Vegas refer to Minnesota as "the factory" for all the prostitutes the state produces. The FBI says that 10% of all teen prostitutes in Las Vegas are from Minnesota and more teens were arrested for prostitution in Minnesota than in Massachusetts , Maryland and Michigan combined. Blue-eyed blondes fetch a high price and pimps prey upon the girls' midwestern politeness and innocence. "'MN nice' pays well in the national sex industry." (Rolling Stone)

How Does Teen Prostitution Happen?

Sarah, a 13-year-old girl from Coon Rapids , Minnesota interviewed by Rolling Stone, described meeting her pimp at another friend's birthday party. The older woman quickly gained her trust, listening when Sarah talked about being nervous in school and her father's drinking habits. Soon after, Sarah found herself on a road trip to Texas where the older woman tricked her by saying they had no money to get home and Sarah must pay her way. Thus began her new career, her new drug habit, and her new beatings at the hand of her pimp. Sarah said, "I kept doing drugs so I didn't have to face myself." In her case, selling her body was not a choice she made, but instead a trap she found herself in. Welcome to what Christianity Today calls "21st Century Slavery."

Other girls are recruited in what may seem as a safe environment: the mall. Newsweek chronicles the story of several girls who were introduced to the lifestyle by pimps at the Mall of America. Because malls are an ideal place for people watching, pimps can safely scope out new prospects there. Some authorities say, "pimps deliberately pick out girls who appear socially awkward or lonely, and set out to make them feel special." (Newsweek) He buys her clothes, treats her like a girlfriend, or whatever it takes to gain her trust. In Stacy's case, all it took was a $250 outfit. From this experience, she says, "Potentially good sex is a small price to pay for the freedom to spend money on what I want."

In each case, a pimp who has gained her trust and will even pretend to be her boyfriend for a short season lures the girl into the lifestyle. Then, many of them are shipped to different areas of the country, like Sarah from Coon Rapids . In 1999, cops broke up a prostitution ring led by a 3-generation family of pimps in Minneapolis . They recruited all across Minnesota and shipped the girls out to whore houses in two dozen states. There are countless stories of girls and young women who trusted men only to find themselves in an uncompromising situation with only one choice: to sell her body.

WHO ARE THESE GIRLS?

They are better off than you may think. Stacy from the Mall of America lives in an upscale neighborhood, gets good grades in school, and wants to try out for the tennis team. Frank Barnaba, who works with the FBI on tracking exploited kids says, "We've seen a 70% increase in kids from middle- to upper-middle class backgrounds, many of whom have not suffered mental, sexual or physical abuse." (Newsweek) There are still others that come from broken or troubled homes, but the conception that all teen hookers come from the ghetto just isn't true. In the words of one Minneapolis detective, "This could be your kid."

These girls may also be younger than you think. Another FBI statistic states that the average age of a new recruit is 13 years old. And some are even as young as 9. Another girl interviewed by Rolling Stone named Angel got her start turning tricks in her junior high bathroom stalls. Now 17, she makes $500 a night from clients she finds on the Internet. Not the life she would have chosen for herself, but in her own words, "I'm the only one who supports my baby." Once immersed in this way of life, it's often difficult for girls to break free. Many have been brainwashed by their pimps to believe that selling their bodies is the only thing they are good for. There are several recovery centers for prostitutes in Minnesota , but the need is far greater than the supply. Aided by the Internet and inexpensive cell phones, pimps easily stay one step ahead of the authorities. In Minnesota , the only cop assigned to juvenile prostitution says, "We just aren't given the resources to fight this like we need to." (Rolling Stone)

HOW TO BE PART OF A SOLUTION?

There are young girls coming from broken backgrounds that are sought out by pimps. There are also girls from stable backgrounds seeming to pursue prostitution because they want easy money. It could be said that the former is a victim of a predator and the latter is a

victim to the values that society has taught her (having money to spend is worth prostitution). Both are becoming growing statistics and sadly signs of the times. What is even more sad is that even when their pimps are caught and the young prostitutes are given opportunity for rehab, most still return to the lifestyle. This is the ugly that our society produces. The ugly that we need to own and for which we need to pursue solutions.

Teenagers are desperate to find a place to belong, to have someone to speak worth, value and purpose into their lives. So many of these girls caught in the trap of prostitution are not there because of the sex or the money or lack of opportunities. Their descent began with someone dangerous making a relational connection, luring them in by making them feel loved and special. The pimps are looking to victimize, "those who appear socially awkward or lonely, and set out to make them feel special." Source is looking to help them.

Young prostitutes are just a percentage of the young people we come in contact with at Source. Teen prostitution is only one of the many products that show the severity of dysfunction that is producing at-risk and alienated young people in this generation. Many of these teenagers such as the girls interviewed here have little to no contact with Christians. Most of these girls are not likely to belong or fit in at a church youth group. Who is there to communicate hope, value, worth, God's love, forgiveness, and Biblical truth about Jesus effectively?

Source aims to give opportunity to overcome

negative pasts (through mentors, life skill training, and transitional housing) as well as being preventative by coming in contact with those who are the most vulnerable and being a positive relationship in their life. We reach out to the ones the pimps are trying to victimize and it starts with being present in their culture. You need to make contact, gain trust, and show you can relate before you can speak into lives. We go to where they are at and provide a place and events they can relate to. We remain accessible and available for when they are ready to pursue more of an understanding of God and assist with positive choices.

The Fallout Urban Art Center is a safe place that attracts this people group. We see young prostitutes daily across the street from the Fallout as well as homeless youth, artists, and young people who simply desire not to be mainstream. As we continue to be a presence in the disenfranchised culture, we can reach those most vulnerable before they get involved in destructive lifestyles. Through building relationships, we can show them their value, not as sexual commodities or whatever else society says they are, but as beautiful young people with value and worth whom God loves and is seeking to have a life changing relationship with them.

1 in 10 teen prostitutes in Las Vegas are from MN.

"We just aren't given the resources to fight this like we need to." The only MN cop assigned to juvenile prostitution

The average age of a new recruit is 13 years old. And some are as young as 9.

"Pimps deliberately pick out girls who appear socially awkward or lonely."

Solution: Help victims overcome & help prevent the vulnerable from becoming victims.

"300,000 children are involved in prostitution in the United States."

From Church To Prostitution

"I remember feeling too dirty to go to church."

Heidi, interviewed by Christianity Today, went through 10 years of sex slavery. She grew up going to church in Minnesota. Experiments with alcohol in college distanced her from her church-going parents and made her vulnerable to a man who said he would be her "daddy." After taking enough time to pose as a boyfriend, he sent her out to different strip clubs all over the Midwest , beat and raped her numerous times, and forced her to take addictive drugs. She describes having no way out of the nightmare; her pimp told her repeatedly, "If you leave me, I will kill you." The only contact she had with the church during this time were the Christians standing outside her motel, holding up signs that read "WHORE." Trapped, she remembers searching the TV channels for religious shows. "I remember crying, being high and beat up, but feeling too dirty to go to church. Christians need to understand that the prostitute is not the enemy. She's a victim. She could be your daughter."

"Inside the Teen-Hooker Industry" Rolling Stone, 10/16/03

"This Could Be Your Kid" Newsweek, 8/18/03

"The Hidden Slavery" Christianity Today, 11/03