Juvenile Prostitution and Child Sexual Abuse: A Controlled Study

Abstract

This study presents a Canadian replication of the work of Silbert and Pines (1982a) on entry to prostitution. Our results, like those of the American workers, point to a picture of multiple abuse and degradation of the 45 former prostitutes interviewed, both before and after entry to prostitution. The Canadian work of Badgley (1984), apparently showing juvenile prostitutes are no more likely to experience child sexual abuse than members of the general population, has been criticized on methodological grounds. The present study indicates 73% of prostitutes were sexually abused in childhood, compared to 29% of a control group obtained in a random population survey. Comparison with control subjects indicated severity of sexual abuse in childhood was a significant contributor of the currently poor mental health and diminished self-esteem of the former prostitutes.