Sex as a currency: the phenomenon of survival sex and what we can do about it

“She drank his money.” It’s an expression in South Africa used to imply that when a woman accepts alcohol from a man, she owes that man sex in exchange for consuming his drink. This toxic attitude exists in the Western world as well, and is presently a serious issue for homeless youth in America.

Homeless youth are often left with no options and
resort to exchanging sex for basic resources

The numbers are horrific. Studies indicate that more than a third of homeless youth exchange sex for housing, food, and often drugs, a practice commonly known as “survival sex.” This type of behavior marks the beginning of a slippery slope to full-blown prostitution, abusive relationships, and more. What’s worse is that once girls begin engaging in more traditional prostitution, they fall into legal sinkholes and are oftentimes treated as teenage criminals rather than victims of exploitation.

Pimps are often aware of the vulnerability of homeless youth, in some cases driving around schools after hours to seek out girls with low self-esteem and nowhere to go. These exploiters play the role of a father figure or boyfriend as a guise for imposing prostitution. As a convicted pimp Harvey Washington said, “With the young girls, you promise them heaven, they’ll follow you to hell.”

Indeed, the bonds girls form with their pimps are often complicated and abusive on many levels. They become attached to their captor and may even continue to work for a pimp after he is incarcerated. After significant abuse, the girls soon begin to trust no one, including authorities who can help. These trust issues are not helped by the present systems in place in the State, which include recent state cuts to mental health services, poorly trained child welfare agencies, and a lack of housing options with support systems.

Research indicates that almost all of the juveniles involved in prostitution are runaways of some kind. It’s also important to remember that the issue of survival sex is not unique to girls. In a survey of LA homeless youth, about half of homeless males engage in survival sex. According to one study, LGBTQ youth are three times are likely to engage in survival sex, and transgendered youth are the most likely of all.

Despite the disheartening reality of the troubles facing homeless youth, awareness is beginning to spread, and so too are effective initiatives. A new system implemented by a Dallas police force showed remarkable success in deterring prostitution by targeting repeat runaways in a unique and sensitive manner. (You can read about it here). There are ways you can help too. Here are three starting points (as recommended by this report):

1. Learn about youth homelessness in your community. Find out how many homeless youth are enrolled in the public schools and what kinds of resources are available to help them. Be informed about the realities of your community.

2. Be a vocal advocate for increased housing resources. Youth are less likely to be exploited when they are off the streets and in stable housing. There are model youth housing programs that can be developed in rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods. Is there enough affordable housing in your neighborhood for older teenagers and young adults who are fleeing abuse and neglect?

3. Make sure that local law enforcement is targeting the businesses (pimps, strip clubs, escort services) and customers (johns) of the commercial sexual industry and not the victims (youth and young adults) for prosecution.

Become an advocate for their cause. Empower them to seek alternate resources. Support programs that are working. Homeless youth in America should not feel this helpless.

Nikhitha Murali, Intern

The International Day for Street Children 2012

Mark your calendars: Tomorrow, the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) is urging fellow child advocates, NGOs, policymakers, kids and concerned citizens around the world to speak ‘louder together’ to realize the rights of street children worldwide. Officially called the International Day for Street Children, this 24-hour call to action aims to provide a platform for millions of street children around the world to speak up for their rights.

Youth around the world face multiple vulnerabilities. Their lives are often shaped by economic, political and cultural contexts unique to their country of origin. However, according to a 2007 State of the World’s Street Children report, street children’s experiences are still strikingly similar, including those in wealthy nations with child protection systems. These kids' lives are often plagued by the dangers and imminent risks that come hand in hand with life on the streets. The report further recognizes that violence is a core theme underpinning children’s presence on the streets, where they experience traumatizing and marginalizing events such as abuse, exploitation, abject poverty, erratic and exclusionary access to educational and health services, and general stigmatization by mainstream society.[i]

As is the case with other disadvantaged populations, sound statistics are difficult to
find. According to the 2012 State of the World’s Children report, estimates suggest that tens of millions of children live or work on the streets of the world’s towns and cities – and the number is rising with global population growth, migration and increasing urbanization. [ii] However, this number is up for debate.

Several countries have their own statistics. In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, there are estimates of 10,000 to 20,000 street working children. In Ethiopia, the government estimates that 150,000 children live on the streets, with around 60,000 in Addis Ababa alone. And 1 million children are believed to be on the streets of Egypt, most in Cairo and Alexandria. [iii]

In Nicaragua, the situation is equally grim. According to a survey of 300 street children conducted by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Family, over 80% had engaged in prostitution to survive.[iv] Others were caught in a spiral of violence, and often addicted to drugs such as glue to curb hunger. I saw this firsthand in Managua when I shadowed a local street outreach team as they talked to afflicted youth and attempted to form vital support networks.

Events for this April 12th seem largely symbolic - agencies like the Hope Foundation are releasing balloons with messages for street children - but there are other ways to take action too. CSC is asking people to sign their pledge so they can affect change on the policy level via a meeting with the UN in June. You can sign the pledge here: http://www.streetchildrenday.org/take-action/#addyourvoice. And, if you are of the volunteering ilk, nonprofits dedicated to street children continue to need help. At IOFA, we are dedicated to improving the lives of young people worldwide. So speak up, take action and help us champion the rights of youth across the globe!

-Summar Ghias, Program Development Intern

[i] Thomas de Benitez, S.(2007). State of the World’s Street Children: Violence, Consortium for Street Children Retrieved from http:// www.streetchildren.org.uk
[ii] The State of the World’s Children (2012). Children in
an Urban World. UNICEF. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf
[iii] Consortium for Street Children: Statistics.(2009) Retrieved from http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/_uploads/resources/Street_Children_Stats_FINAL.pdf
[iv] Street Children in Nicaragua. Casa Alianza. Retrieved from http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/northsouth/CasaWeb.nsf/3/Nicaragua_Detail?OpenDocument