In the United States, the average age of a girl entering into the commercial sex industry is thirteen years old. Many come from places of domestic violence, little money, foster care, and broken homes. Deciding they don't want that type of life, they leave home and find themselves being offered “family” in the form of a pimp. Most of these girls don’t even know what a pimp is, but they see the opportunity to obtain love and comfort – something they have been denied in the past – and they jump for it.
This type of false love is known as Stockholm Syndrome. In this situation, the victim is isolated and stripped completely of their independence, leading them to rely solely on their captor. Regressing back to a state of infancy can occur, where the victim latches on to the nearest influential adult for survival. Many prostitutes start out as children, so the attachment they form to their pimps is understandable when the pimps present themselves as the child’s “daddy.” Once formed, these bonds are hard to break.
So what can be done to keep girls from returning to a life of prostitution? Re-thinking the definition of freedom is a good place to start. Many assume that because a person is free physically, they must also be free mentally, but the truth is that these girls fight a daily struggle to stay within the new lives they are creating for themselves. Taking into consideration the trauma of circumstances this severe, it’s hardly fair to label them as weak if they fall back into prostitution. Lack of money, lack of options, and love for their pimps all play a role in this scenario. Instead of giving the cold shoulder to these victims, rehabilitation programs should be set up in order to monitor the progress of creating happy and healthy lives. GEMS is a great example of how this can be achieved. The GEMS staff offers support to victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. By using workshops to raise awareness of the issue and providing each girl with tools they need for a better life, GEMS reaches two hundred young women each year. This may only touch the tip of the iceberg, but it is progress. Rehabilitation is crucial if we want to see any type of advancement.
