LOS ANGLEES -- They are 11, 12, 13 years old, and they're having sex for money. Call it 'America's dirty little secret.' It's the modern U.S. tragedy that no one will talk about: child prostitution. Relief organizations estimate there may be as many as 300,000 children working as prostitutes across the country. And one Southern California facility is trying to stem the tide.
Dr. Lois Lee established the CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT live-in facility in Van Nuys 30 years ago as a safe haven for children trying to escape the clutches of prostitution.
"The age range of these girls is 11-17 years old," Dr. Lee tells KTLA's Victoria Recano. "These children have been sexually abused at the hands of their primary caregivers -- dads, stepdads, uncles, sometimes moms, family members, mom's boyfriends. And when they're old enough to become mobile, around 11 or 12, they start to wander from home, looking for better way of life."
It may seem hard to believe, but there are only 42 beds total in the United States for child prostitutes seeking refuge. And 24 of those beds are in Van Nuys at the Children of the Night facility.
"A pimp will say to these girls: 'you don't have to lay in bed, to wait for dad or mom's boyfriend to come in have his way with you sexually," Dr. Lee points out. "The pimp says 'I can teach you how to make men pay you for sex. And it's you and me against the world.' And they build a very powerful alliance."
Of course K.T.L.A. News won't reveal the identities of the girls living at Children of the Night. But one girl -- whom we'll call 'Ashley' -- has a typical story. She turned to prostitution when she was 12, to help pay her family's bills.
"I started for my Mom," Ashley says. "She couldn't pay the rent, and they were going to take her kids away and get evicted. It was so hard for her. I couldn't live with that, seeing my sisters taken away again."
'Ashley' says she made 500-600 dollars a night. But her pimp took most of it. He drugged her. And when she wanted out, he threatened her life.
"I'd try to run," Ashley says. "I'd say 'I'm leaving you. I can't do this no more.' But he'd say 'I know where you live, I know your family. If I can't find you, I know where your family lives.'"
Another girl, whom we'll call 'Kayla,' got into a middle-school prostitution ring right here in California at age 14, when her 18 year-old 'boyfriend' started pimping her out.
"There were at least 10 girls in the prostitution ring," 'Kayla' says. "My pimp was the main guy. He told me I was beautiful, I was only one, he loved me, we would be together forever."
'Kayla' came to Children of the Night because she feared for her life after she worked with federal authorities to break up the prostitution ring.
"I told the FBI about it, and they looked into it," 'Kayla' says. "After they found one person they found other people, and they started locking people up."
Still another girl, whom we'll call 'Cassidy,' says she turned to prostitution at age 13, with six of her friends in the seventh grade.
'Cassidy' says her male 'clients' ran the gamut of professions. "Maybe I look older than my age, but I had police officers, a doctor once, firefighters," 'Cassidy' says. "These are men we're supposed to look up to. But you don't look up to them when they're paying you to have sex with them. They talk about their families, their children, and you just look and you're like, wow. They never asked me how old I was."
For each of these girls, Children of the Night has provided a way out.
"Children of the Night has rescued over 10,000 children from prostitution right here in our own country," Dr. Lee explains. "We have an on-site school. We have a home. We place 5 kids a year in college."
"We place our kids in long-term living environments, independent living and sober living programs. We do everything imaginable for these kids. We're family. We're in the business of raising kids," Dr. Lee says.
Many hearing these heart-wrenching stories might think that it could never happen in their families, to their sisters or daughters. But the girls disagree.
"Don't say that, because it could," 'Cassidy' says. "It could happen to anybody."
'Kayla' agrees. "It happens. In my situation, I fell in love with a boy. He sweet-talked me and I was done."
And 'Ashley' says, "Never say never, because it might just happen. I said that. I lived right there, and said 'I would never.' But before you know I was out there on the street."
Children of the Night survives on private funding, and they count on their grass roots efforts to secure smaller donations. The facility's new campaign says: if they can get 100,000 people to donate $20, they can rescue America's children from prostitution. Go to www.childrenofthenight.org for more details.
Dr. Lois Lee established the CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT live-in facility in Van Nuys 30 years ago as a safe haven for children trying to escape the clutches of prostitution.
"The age range of these girls is 11-17 years old," Dr. Lee tells KTLA's Victoria Recano. "These children have been sexually abused at the hands of their primary caregivers -- dads, stepdads, uncles, sometimes moms, family members, mom's boyfriends. And when they're old enough to become mobile, around 11 or 12, they start to wander from home, looking for better way of life."
It may seem hard to believe, but there are only 42 beds total in the United States for child prostitutes seeking refuge. And 24 of those beds are in Van Nuys at the Children of the Night facility.
"A pimp will say to these girls: 'you don't have to lay in bed, to wait for dad or mom's boyfriend to come in have his way with you sexually," Dr. Lee points out. "The pimp says 'I can teach you how to make men pay you for sex. And it's you and me against the world.' And they build a very powerful alliance."
Of course K.T.L.A. News won't reveal the identities of the girls living at Children of the Night. But one girl -- whom we'll call 'Ashley' -- has a typical story. She turned to prostitution when she was 12, to help pay her family's bills.
"I started for my Mom," Ashley says. "She couldn't pay the rent, and they were going to take her kids away and get evicted. It was so hard for her. I couldn't live with that, seeing my sisters taken away again."
'Ashley' says she made 500-600 dollars a night. But her pimp took most of it. He drugged her. And when she wanted out, he threatened her life.
"I'd try to run," Ashley says. "I'd say 'I'm leaving you. I can't do this no more.' But he'd say 'I know where you live, I know your family. If I can't find you, I know where your family lives.'"
Another girl, whom we'll call 'Kayla,' got into a middle-school prostitution ring right here in California at age 14, when her 18 year-old 'boyfriend' started pimping her out.
"There were at least 10 girls in the prostitution ring," 'Kayla' says. "My pimp was the main guy. He told me I was beautiful, I was only one, he loved me, we would be together forever."
'Kayla' came to Children of the Night because she feared for her life after she worked with federal authorities to break up the prostitution ring.
"I told the FBI about it, and they looked into it," 'Kayla' says. "After they found one person they found other people, and they started locking people up."
Still another girl, whom we'll call 'Cassidy,' says she turned to prostitution at age 13, with six of her friends in the seventh grade.
'Cassidy' says her male 'clients' ran the gamut of professions. "Maybe I look older than my age, but I had police officers, a doctor once, firefighters," 'Cassidy' says. "These are men we're supposed to look up to. But you don't look up to them when they're paying you to have sex with them. They talk about their families, their children, and you just look and you're like, wow. They never asked me how old I was."
For each of these girls, Children of the Night has provided a way out.
"Children of the Night has rescued over 10,000 children from prostitution right here in our own country," Dr. Lee explains. "We have an on-site school. We have a home. We place 5 kids a year in college."
"We place our kids in long-term living environments, independent living and sober living programs. We do everything imaginable for these kids. We're family. We're in the business of raising kids," Dr. Lee says.
Many hearing these heart-wrenching stories might think that it could never happen in their families, to their sisters or daughters. But the girls disagree.
"Don't say that, because it could," 'Cassidy' says. "It could happen to anybody."
'Kayla' agrees. "It happens. In my situation, I fell in love with a boy. He sweet-talked me and I was done."
And 'Ashley' says, "Never say never, because it might just happen. I said that. I lived right there, and said 'I would never.' But before you know I was out there on the street."
Children of the Night survives on private funding, and they count on their grass roots efforts to secure smaller donations. The facility's new campaign says: if they can get 100,000 people to donate $20, they can rescue America's children from prostitution. Go to www.childrenofthenight.org for more details.
