An Ethnographic Study on the Process of Adolescent Prostitution: How Does an Adolescent Become a Prostitute and Get Out of Prostitution

청소년의 인터넷성매매 유입실태와 탈성매매 과정에 관한 문화기술적 연구

This study investigated the process of how adolescents get caught into a net of online prostitution and get out of it. An in-depth interview was done with 43 adolescents who experienced online prostitution. It was found that 38 of 43 interviewees(88%) had an experience of running away from home and that 23 adolescents(53%) among them got involved in online prostitution for living expenses. Leaving home was a major route to prostitution. Fifty six percents experienced prostitution at the ages of 16 or 17 for the first time. The age group of 13-15 took 35%, which provided an evidence that most prostitutes experienced young. Moreover, the frequency of prostitution was shocking. Those who prostituted themselves 'more than 10, but less than 50 times(40%)' were more than those who did 'less than 10 times(37%).' Those who did 'more than 100 times' or even countlessly were 21%. Violation of human rights such as perverted sex, violence, sexual violence, threat, abduction, fraud, extortion by threats, and infection of sexually transmitted disease(STD) occurred quite often. In addition, the process of adolescent online prostitution categorized into the three stages: vulnerable stage, chaotic stage, and stabilized(out-of-prostitution) stage. It was possible that the three stages moved back and forth. The process shifted from the vulnerable stage to the chaotic one, and could get back to the vulnerable one. Or the speed of moving forward to the next sage could be accelerated if the individual management skills were coupled with support from many people and institutions.