But there are some areas in which flexibility is the wrong approach. There is a need for both a legal and a cultural message that does not tolerate prostitution. I was surprised to learn that in Rhode Island—in a misguided attempt to be compassionate to people in prostitution—prostitution is legal so long as it happens indoors, and girls as young as 16 years of age can legally dance in strip clubs. Just pause for a moment and imagine the conversation between a teacher and that tired sophomore or junior who is falling asleep in home room because she was working late as a stripper. It is a legitimate concern that such a hands-off approach toward the so-called “sex industry” can result in a zone of impunity in which police can’t go, and where traffickers can exploit their prey. State legislators are trying to close these prostitution loopholes in Rhode Island, so that the state does not become a magnet for commercial sexual exploitation.

These issues of law or technology aside, what we see in these cases are children who are trapped by the very people they trusted. We see how the most vulnerable girls are targeted for prostitution, particularly those considered “throw-away” or run-away youth from dysfunctional families. At a time when children too often aspire to a sexuality far beyond their years and are exposed to a culture that is more likely to romanticize pimps than expose their cruelty and lies, victims want to believe the promises of love and protection.