The STOPLight

Confronting child sacrifice in America

viewpoint of a pimp on child prostitution:

"…on the whole, pimps simply provide what the marks demands. If authorities wanted to slop it, they’d have to slop the buyers (johns), not the sellers or us, the middlemen. You know, prostitution is big business (child prostitution) is marginal in it, reaIly."

viewpoint of a prostitute on the life:

"Hustling is good money, man. That’s the problem . . . it’s the emotional strain. Not what you feel towards the clients; it’s what you feel towards yourself."

both quotes above from the book "The Invisible Children"

Viewpoint of a mother who recently learned her daughter was a prostitute:

"if kids had more self-esteem. this stuff wouldn't happen."

Some ancient peoples sacrificed chosen children to their gods. It was a community ritual. The child’s life and death were publicly acknowledged. Now we regard such child sacrifice as primitive, useless and horrifying.

Virtually all over the world, children are still being sacrificed in large numbers daily. The altars on which these kids are offered are Sex and Power. In 1990, there were 2.5 million cases of child abuse and neglect reported in the United States alone. More than one million children ran away from home last year in the USA. Of those who stayed away for more than a few days, many became sexually victimized in their struggle to survive and eat. Shockingly, the average age at which children become involved in prostitution is 12 years.

These kids aren’t just sacrificed once. Daily, even hourly, many are controlled by pimps who have manipulated them into prostitution. They are at the mercy of strangers, of emotion-numbing drugs, of life-threatening diseases and terrified by the reality of violence and death.

These sacrificial children belong to all of us. It is a tragedy that should touch the heart of humanity — seeing children forced to sacrifice all that is most precious about themselves on the unworthy and inhumane altars of sexual lust, degradation, greed, and domination.

These children, both boys and girls, come from our communities. They are usually unheard in their anguish. Parents, schools and communities could do more to respond but it rarely happens. People who care, or should care the most, allow them to slip away to be sacrificed anonymously at the altar. And they continue to slip away.

What can their parents, schools and communities do? That also includes you and me. What are we going to do?

We need to confront our fears and prejudices toward prostitution and sexual victimization. We have to rid ourselves of the comfortable belief that such things only happen to ‘bad’ kids from ‘bad’ homes in ‘bad’ neighborhoods in ‘big’ cities. There are few generalities that can be made about the social, economic or ethnic backgrounds of children in prostitution. What they have in common is a history of being abused — sexually, emotionally or physically — probably all three. Their feelings of self worth are nil. They have learned not to trust adults or to expect help or support from them.

We can’t close our eyes and hearts to their anguish. We can’t ignore this unacceptable and unnecessary sacrifice of children. Each of us individually, as well as collectively as a community, needs to start asking questions and searching for answers. We need to unite our efforts in exposing prostitution for what it really is. We can shake people from their complacency and apathy. We can dispel the secrecy that surrounds the subject. We can educate ourselves and let others know what we’ve learned. We can make a difference.

If you can say, "I strongly oppose child sacrifice in America. I want to do something about it in my community, my church, my neighborhood and perhaps even in my own family. If I can help save even one child, one fellow human being, from being sacrificed needlessly, I will feel my efforts have not been in vain," please reach out. If you are willing to help or have ideas on what can be done, write to us at the address below. We have information on how you can start.

You and me makes we. We can make a difference!

by Al Erickson, founder and acting director of the S.T.O.P. Committee , can be reached at (612) 872-0684.

In 2002 our organization changed its name to Adults Saving Kids. Prior to that we were called A-STOP (Alliance for Speaking Truths On Prostitution), STOP (Speaking Truths On Prostitution), or Grassroots Ministry Alliance.