Changing the Language

Child Prostitute

• A young person who has made a conscious and poor choice to enter the commercial sex industry
• Provides no context for "choices" made
• A "bad kid" who is resistant to help and may not be worth the effort
• Used as an insult/derogatory term
• Associated with stereotypes
• A label with long-lasting stigma
• Supports myths and misunderstanding of the issue and of youth involved
• Wrongly equated with a "profession" or work
• A juvenile offender, a criminal
• Punishable - youth deserve consequences of sexual violence, social isolation, incarceration, etc.
• Denies social responsibility and accountability to address as an issue

Victim of DMST

• A child not developmentally, legally, or socially able to make the "choice" to have sex for money or to become involved in the commercial sex industry
• Indicates that multiple factors impact how and why children are involved
• A young person who has been sexually used, coerced, manipulated, and violently controlled for another person's profit
• Understanding of inequality, power imbalance
• Takes into consideration vulnerability of children
• Defines what has happened to a child, rather than labels who the child is
• A form of child abuse
• A young person victimized by multiple systems of oppression