Not Quite Children, Not Quite Adults
Monday’s New York Times reports that individual states and the federal government are currently working on new laws to address the problem of teenage runaways. A couple of different problems with runaways have received public attention lately, and a fair amount of attention has been focused on teenage prostitution. According to the Times, there is evidence that increasing numbers of runaway teens are turning to prostitution as the recession makes it difficult for them to obtain other, safer forms of employment. Kids who are caught engaging in sex trafficking are often arrested and charged, but there is no evidence that this is having any positive effects on the larger problems that left the kids homeless and engaging in prostitution in the first place.
The new initiatives discussed in the Times article, especially some policy guidelines being drafted by the National Conference of State Legislatures, are a big step in a positive direction.