During adolescence my largest problems consisted of fluffing my pom pons prior to Friday night football games, routinely bleaching my hair and counting calories, and passing notes during a much despised mathematics course. I sipped soda with classmates in bleachers, spent time with family during impromptu barbecues, and was often not seen without a cell phone nearly glued to my ear. The mentioning of the word “sex” was still something that prompted giggles, and the concept of prostitution seemed a nightmare which existed only on news programs regarding women who were career criminals.
Upon leaving my folksy Americana-esque upbringing and subsequently relocating to East Oakland, a world which I could have never imagined awaited me. Drives down International Boulevard featured girls well under the age of eighteen strutting “the track” in platform heels and mini dresses, while predatory pimps waited in the wings. Platinum blonde no longer held the same innocent connotation of teenage beauty queens and cheerleaders as it had in the small town of 7,000 I was raised in, but seemed reserved for those who stepped into the passenger side of cars in the wee hours of the morning, often to never be seen again.
Upon further research I discovered girls as young eleven were often arrested for soliciting in Oakland, and with the recent crackdown and harsher punishment regarding selling hard drugs, many former drug dealers have turned to pimping to make ends meet. The demand for sexual services provided by young girls is high, and also very lucrative, prompting many pimps to prey on younger and younger girls. Many girls who turn to prostitution are often fleeing physically and sexually abusive households, with parents who are often drug addicts or simply, incompetent. However, no socioeconomic group is immune, and girls hailing from affluent and fully functional backgrounds have also been discovered by investigators working as prostitutes.
Some blame hip hop music for harboring an acceptance of women working as prostitutes, with songs containing lyrics about women using their bodies as a means for financial gain. Others, blame interpersonal relationships girls may have which influence their decisions. Prostitution is often accepted amongst certain teenage peer circles in Oakland, with many girls being aware of a friend, family member, or former schoolmate working in the sex trade.
Despite the seriousness of the problem, investigators admit it will never be truly abolished, only an issue whose severity may be improved upon. Until girls are offered other alternatives and nurtured and cared for in every regard appropriate, teenage prostitution will continue, with many young women losing their lives in the process.
Misisipi Mike
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