Nobody is going to argue that underage sex trafficking is a good thing, but what happens when media panic spreads false information? Does it really help the cause?
As part of Village Voice Media's investigative series on The Truth Behind Sex Trafficking, "Real Men Get Their Facts Straight" takes a look at celebrity spokesmen Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, who seem to fall victim to the assumption that 100,000 to 300,000 children are turning to prostitution every year. Problem? There is no real proof they are.
In fact, VVM spent two months researching law enforcement data and what did it find? There were only 8,263 arrests across America for child prostitution during the most recent decade. Common sense says even if that doesn't include every child prostitute in America, that figure probably still wouldn't come anywhere close to the supposed 100,000 to 300,000 range often reported by the media.
So how did this inflated figure become the de facto average of underage sex trafficking? Well, read this week's Village Voice feature to find out.
Bonus: Check out the awkward "Real Men Don't Girls" PSAs being pushed by Kutcher and Moore's DNA Foundation.
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
