The STOPLight

Are we copping out?

Are we Americans hoping we never get found out? Are we hoping that the problem of prostitution will just go away? Do we wish we had never heard of the fact that many of us adults are sexually abusing our youth? Are we hoping the story of the systematic devastation of our young people in the sex industry will never be told? Are we hoping our apathy, cowardice and feigned ignorance in facing what is happening will never get noticed? Are we hoping our "blame the victim" cop-out will let us off the hook? As men, are we hoping prostitution will continue to be seen as a victimless crime? Are we hoping the whole tragic mess will just disappear without our involvement?

The STOP Light newsletter is here to ask the questions. . . and tell the story. Are you ready to be part of the answer?

We must face what is happening in America today. In the USA, the average age of entry into prostitution is fourteen. A report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports there are between 100,000 and 300,000 juveniles in prostitution annually. Many remain there as adults. At least 75% of these children have been sexually abused prior to their involvement in prostitution.

They are victims.

Beneath our very noses, our youth are being set up for disaster. How? By the secret abuser who gets away with it. By troubled parents who don't get help for themselves. By communities which have no intervention programs to act as a safety net for kids at risk. By professionals who don't know what to do when confronted with the evidence and don't make the effort to find out. By a society not ready to fund the needed services. By women who conveniently buy into the myth that kids do it because they want to. By men too timid to buck the "old boy's network." By thousands of people all too ready to take advantage of vulnerable youth.

Every day children are facing problems and choices that even adults find difficult and overwhelming. They have to fend for themselves in abusive situations, in foster homes, in divorce and poverty. They have to learn to survive on the streets. They have to deal with sly men who proposition them, with pimps who use the language of love and caring (followed by threats and violence) to deceive them. How would you and I handle these situations? How can we expect children to escape undamaged? How can we turn our backs on these children?

We adults are quick to claim our rights to view pornography, to use alcohol, to use sexually-exploitative tactics to market products so long as we make money. Shouldn't we be as quick to give up these "rights" when we learn of the negative effects they are having on our youth? Are we strong enough to shoulder our responsibility?

Or are we copping out?

We cling the notion that what we don't know won't hurt us. We don't consider that it might hurt someone we love, maybe even our own children. We accept the myths and maintain the status quo: "Hey, nobody's getting hurt. Prostitution is the world's oldest profession, isn't it? We can't change human nature, after all. If it moves into the neighborhood, we'll just move out. Too bad about those kids, huh? Glad it isn't my problem. There's nothing we can do about it. Sorry."

No more excuses! The time is now! We can cause something to happen.

The S.T.O.P. Committee is committed to making a difference. You can, too. Together we can learn all we can about the problems. Then we can then wake up our churches, temples and synagogues, our schools and colleges, our politicians, parents, newspapers and television networks.

We need your participation as a liaison between us and your community so we know what's being done around the country to battle against prostitution. We need speakers to talk to groups and help crack open the myths and encourage others to take action. We need your help and financial support. Return the coupon today.

by Al Erickson, founder and acting director of the S.T.O.P Committee. Erickson is the director of Grassroots Ministry Alliance, Inc., a nonprofit coalition of churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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.