Prostituted Women
The demand creates prostituted women and girls.

from The Demand Factor: Buying Despair
Woodcuts, etchings, and collages by Myrna Balk

Women who are prostituted come from all backgrounds and ethnic groups. A higher percentage of poorer women and women of color are prostituted.

The Demand Factor

• Prostituted women
• Empty Playgrounds
• Mail Order Brides
• Sex Tourism
• Moving Around
• Houses/ homelessness
• Pimps
• The Demands of Men

Myths about prostituted women:

• There is a myth that prostituted women cannot be raped. In fact, 75% of the women have been raped by their pimp and the abusers whom they call “ tricks”. 93% have been victims of sexual assault. (Source: Miller and Schwartz)
• There is a myth that prostituted women make money when in fact their pimp takes most of the money from them.
• It's a myth that only women can be prostituted.

Below is specific information from the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women:

• 75 to 95% of all prostitutes were sexually abused as children.
• Child prostitution in the United States began to escalate in the late 1980’s after new laws made it more difficult for officials to detain runaway children.
• The demand for prostituted children is increasing, as men feel safer from AIDS with younger girls. Some believe that intercourse with a virgin will cure their AIDS .
• The FBI estimates that the children exploited are getting younger, some as young as 9.
• Most experts believe that the children are subjected to more violence by the pimps.
• The vast majority of teens prostituted today are runaways, illegal immigrants and children from poor urban areas, with a growing number from the middle class.
• 300,000 to 600,000 juveniles are involved in prostitution in the United States.