Expert: Child traffickers target runaways, ‘throwaways’
CNN: “Alhough statistics on the depth of domestic trafficking are difficult to ascertain, the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study in 2001 showing that between 244,000 and 325,000 American children were at risk of sexual exploitation, including child pornography, juvenile prostitution and trafficking children for sexual purposes. The average age of a female victim’s first involvement in prostitution, according to the study, was between 12 and 14.”