Child prostitution is driven by both poverty and cultural norms in different parts of the world. Over 1.2 million children are trafficked across international borders each year for prostitution. In some countries, children enter prostitution to help support their families financially due to extreme poverty and lack of other options. Cultural practices in countries like Thailand also influence some girls to enter prostitution to fulfill obligations of repaying their parents. Most instances of child prostitution, however, are directly tied to survival and poverty, as illustrated by the account of a 17-year old Chilean girl who began selling herself to get food for her family. Large numbers of child prostitutes also exist in Southeast Asia, where some girls as young as 8 years

1. CHILD PROSTITUTES
In the unitedstates,womenmaybecome prostitutesbecause ,amongotherreasonsthey
become fromimpoverishbackgrounds.
In some othercountries,the relationshipbetween povertyandprostitutiontakesadifferent
twist-childrensell themselvesorare soldbytheirparentsintoprostitutioninordertosurvive.The
unitednationsestimatedthat1.2 millionchildrenare traffickedacrossinternationalborderseveryyear,
mostof themdestinedforprostitution;
We shouldnote thatnot all childprostitutioncomesoutof impoverishedsettings.Cultural
normsalso playa role.
Forexample,InThailandgirlssome timesgointoprostitutionbecause itappeartobe the only
choice theyhave inorderto fulfill the normsof theirculture those normsdictate thatthe youngshould
repaytheirparentsforthe sacrificesthe parentshave made andshouldhelpimprove theirparents
financial standing,theyhave the obligationtodosoeven if the familyisrelativelywell off.Butfemales
have little opportunitytomake enoughmoneytoenhance the familys income andstatus
consequently,some of themoptforprostitutionasabearable waytofulfill theircultural obligations.
Most child prostitution,howeveristiedupwithpovertyand the needtosurvive the close link
betweenchildprostitutionandsurvival isillustratedbythe accountof a 17-yearoldChilean
prostitute,who toldhowthe firsteffortsshe andherbrothersmade toget foodwasto go out and
beg,orpickup leftoversatthe market.Thentheystartedsellingcelery,butwhentheycouldnotsell
enoughtoget the foodneededbythe family;mymomalmostbeatusto death.
Afterthat ,the girl begantosell herself .A Chilean sociologisthasestimatedthatasmany as so
childreninchile engage inprostitutioninordertosurvive.
SoutheastAsiaisanotherareawithchildprostitutes,Noone knowsjust how manybut
estimatesrunintothe hundredsof thousandsandashighas a millionone fifthof prostitutesinThailand
begintheirworkbetweenthe age of 13 and 15,and girlsas youngas 8 are inthe BROTHELS of Thailand
,Cambodian,India,China,Taiwan,Nigeria andthe Philipines.Manyof the girlsisbeensoldtoBROTHEL
OWNERSby theirparentsinorderto get moneyforfoodor other essential fortheirfamiliesonce sold
,the girlsare consideredthe propertyof the BROTHEL OWNERSand mustwork