40 pct. of prostitutes began selling sex as teens: study

40 pct. of prostitutes began selling sex as teens: study. November. 12, 2012 05:20. iamsam@donga.com.

A study has found that 40 percent of prostitutes in Korea began selling sex as teenagers.

Together Once Again, a counseling center by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, surveyed 413 prostitutes who had received regular counseling over an extensive period of time. Founded in 2002 to prevent prostitution and protect the human rights of sex workers, the center has provided counseling to 3,869 prostitutes since 2009.

According to the research, 39 percent of those polled said they began to sell sex in their teens, followed by 29 percent who began in their early 20s. More than half of them were indebted to their pimps, with 69 percent of them owing more than 10 million won (9,200 U.S. dollars).

By location, Seoul was home to 212 of them, followed by Incheon and Gyeonggi Province with 78 and the Gyeongsang provinces with 37.

A center source said, “One of every three prostitutes began turning tricks while undergoing bad experiences such as dropping out of school, leaving home, domestic violence or even suffering sexual assaults in their teenage years.”

Those who seek counseling from the center can click www.dasi.or.kr or call (02) 814-3660.