Child prostitution is the practice whereby a child is used by others for sexual activities in return for remuneration or any other form of consideration. The remuneration or other consideration could be provided to the child or to another person. A child abuser or a pimp can be the organizer.

According to World Forum of Child Labour Convention, 1999, of the International Labour Organization, the use, procuring or offering a child for prostitution is one of the worst forms of child labour and exploitation.

Child prostitution is a Taboo theme for the normal public and they also know less about this. But the customers or the abusers also come from all the societies. The children are the victim mostly because they are physically weak and helpless to defend themselves.

The estimated number of sex-workers in India is more than 10 lakhs and 30% are believed to be children. It is increasing around 10% every year. The situation in Mumbai is extreme but it is prevalent in all the big cities. It may be different in Hyderabad than in Chennai and depends on various factors.

The police are in a position to crack down child prostitution in India without any problem. It does not materialize because of the lack of places everywhere for the victims. Place to live, school education, social security and a fair chance for the integration are the urgent needs. Here, politics, industries and the society must have the will and courage to arrange to realize this.

It is not mainly sex tourism which creates child prostitution in India like in many developing countries. It is mostly gender discrimination and trafficking of children as well as selling children from various sources, may be from parents or husbands. Incest also plays a role here.

The myth that a man can get rid off HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases if he sleeps with a virgin has increased the demand for virgins and children. This is particularly worst in Africa. The result is an increase in the number of HIV infected women as well as their infected children. They pay this high price although they are innocent.

Child prostitution is not only a problem of big cities but it is present everywhere including rural areas in the world. In most of the countries there are very strict laws against child prostitution or trafficking but in reality it sees entirely different. Unfortunately, the men who have to guarantee these rights are also the men with weakness. It is applicable to developed countries also in every field. They are not weak men; I would rather say they are mentally sick men with less chance to have a normal relationship with women or old. There are several examples throughout the world for this.

Poverty, lack of love and affection in the family, loneliness, problems at school and alcohol and drug addiction are the main reasons which push children to this evil. The average age of a child prostitute is 13 years. We do not go in detail to their health damage physically as well as mentally, but these are very serious. A child prostitute becomes a whore when she becomes an adult and mostly the fate of her girl child is also the same.

In Africa this problem has the following grounds:

• The myth about virgin and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases
• Pornography and everything extreme connected to this
• Demand for black children from North American and European men for sexual purposes. Here, most of the victims are girl-children but there are also male-teenage victims who serve women.
• Not to forget the poverty or civil war connected crimes to children, the weakest member of the society.