I saw this report a few days and I, too, questioned the underlying message and what it truly meant for teens, sex workers, and sex in general. Elizabeth, you brought up some excellent points!

Another book that I would recommend is Judith Levine's "Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting our Children from Sex". She argues that much of our strategies for preventing such misunderstood plights like teen pregnancies, online predators, and sexual trafficking are actually far more damaging to children than one would expect. She has a great section about teenage runaways who turn to prostitution for survival and youth groups that believe in realistic solutions instead of ideological ones.

Groups such as those held in District 202 in Minneapolis do not treat child/teen prostitutes/runaways as victims that need to be "saved." Instead, they provide counseling, condoms, and an environment where these kids can go for shelter, food, or support.

I also agree with Gemini Girl in terms of what survival prostitution actually means. It certainly reflects a society that is unable to provide essential needs to its fellow citizens. We often leave children out of that loop. But, if these kids have to make very adult choices about their situation, then it only seems reasonable to treat them as such, allow their choices some validation, and let them live their lives knowing that they are respected as human beings. You can't put an age or a price on that!