Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Richard Love ret spent a career investigating and prosecuting people who traffic in children for sex, including going undercover as a pimp. The girl may service 20 buyers in a day. Love said that pimp is simply the acronym for Prostitute In My Possession.
Pimps give the girl a quota and will punish the girl that does not meet her quota. Love said that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act makes the recruitment harboring transportation provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force though proving that force was used is not a requirement under the Federal statute.
Love said that when investigating trafficking our number one concern is the survivor — the children. In their mind they know that they have been sexually abused. I care more about the children we were able to save than getting the conviction of the traffickers. Love said that girls who are trafficked become numb to the situation around them. They become desensitized. When we rescue them we have to teach them You do mean something you do have a place in this world.
Some children are forced. Where the pimp gets control using: food, housing, everyday needs. The compliant child goes along because these are receiving some sort of benefit from the pimp. The child prostitute can be male or female though 95 percent are American girls. The average age is between 13 and 17 years of age.
Many are high risk, come from troubled homes or are foster youths. Particularly vulnerable are runaways, foster children and homeless children. They are particularly vulnerable. Many come from stable middle class homes there are problems going on in that home they are looking for something better, escape current situation, looking for someone who cares, love, fame, or money.
