Youth prostitution: A balance of power

Abstract

The term prostitute value laden as it is is often not the preferred term adopted by the youngsters in question. Business girl/boy Rent boy Hustler Trade these are just some of the terms employed as preferences. Indeed some young people involved in any on of the various forms of Prostitution would deny totally that they are prostitutes at all. Denial plays an important role in other ways too which will be shown later. Whatever the individual motivations for adopting on term over another one effect it has is to take those in question out of the moral arena of judgements. As a defence mechanism the denial serves to protect them from any internal or external social force. Furthermore if we call a vulnerable young person a prostitute or we assume in our approach thats what the young person is then we increase the likelihood of that young person more fully becoming a prostitute. Engaging in acts of prostitution does not make one a life member to the profession. Or to put it even more plainly prostitution is behaviour--not a person--and a prostitute is merely a term which describes a persons behaviour. (excerpt)