Craigslist Ads Featuring Adolescent Females Yield Three Times the Transactions Per Ad

ATLANTA, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Online solicitation is the leading source for the sexual exploitation of girls. Women's Funding Network in partnership with "A Future. Not A Past." today released the results from a pilot study that measures the demand for adolescent girls prostituted in Georgia.  The Georgia Demand Study -- the first in a series of several being conducted across the nation -- reveals Craigslist ads featuring adolescent females yield three times the transactions per ad than its closest competitor, Backpage.

"It's not the number or the raunchiness of the ads -- it's the fact that more men respond to ads on Craigslist than to ads on other sites," says Alex Trouteaud, Ph.D., lead researcher for The Schapiro Group, an independent research firm conducting the studies.

According to Trouteaud, the study involved placing ads on Craigslist and other sites that are being used by johns looking for commercial sex with adolescent girls. In covertly questioning the men who responded to the ads, 47 percent of the callers wanted to continue with the "transaction," despite three warnings about the girl's age.

"Make no mistake, the commercial sexual exploitation of children is a profitable business.  This is pure supply and demand," says Deborah Richardson, chief program officer of Women's Funding Network.  "This data is vital to our movement's commitment to end the demand for the purchase of sex from young girls."

About the Georgia Pilot Demand Study

The Georgia Demand Study complements an ongoing tracking study of all sources of prostituted adolescent girls in the state.  According to a January 2010 fact sheet from the Governor's Office for Children and Families, an estimated 405 girls are prostituted each month in Georgia. The Internet is responsible for 76 percent of the transactions; 15 percent through escort services; 8 percent through street activity; and 1 percent through major hotels.

The Georgia Demand Study estimates 7,200 men knowingly or unknowingly pay for sex with adolescent females in Georgia each month.  Annually, 28,000 men statewide knowingly or unknowingly pay for sex with adolescent females -- nearly 10,000 of them doing so multiple times per year.

The largest concentration of men (42 percent) seeking to pay for sex with adolescent females is in the north metro Atlanta area, outside the perimeter (Interstate 285). Twenty-six percent come from inside the perimeter, and 23 percent from the south metro area outside the perimeter. Nine percent come from the immediate vicinity of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The study gathered statistical information through a scientific survey of 218 men responding to posed Internet and yellow pages ads for paid sex with young females. Thirty-four percent of respondents were younger than 30; 44 percent ages 30-39; and 22 percent age 40 and older.

Editor’s Note:  Three years ago a coalition formed in Georgia to stop the domestic prostitution of adolescent girls in the state.

The coalition’s mission is to give girls “A Future. Not A Past.”  Hence, AFNAP.   AFNAP is the first organization in the United States to develop a definitive research model to measure the scope of prostituted adolescent girls within the boundaries of a state.

Women’s Funding Network has partnered with AFNAP to adopt the research model and expand the research initiative.  

In partnership with AFNAP, Women’s Funding Network is releasing pilot data from Georgia that measures the demand that fuels the prostitution of adolescent girls.  

The Georgia research is the first in a series of studies to be released by Women’s Funding Network.  

About Women's Funding Network

As a global network and a movement for social justice, Women's Funding Network accelerates women's leadership and invests in solving critical social problems -- from poverty to global security -- by bringing together the financial power, influence and voices of more than 160 women's funds. Learn more at www.womensfundingnetwork.org.

About "A Future. Not A Past."

"A Future. Not A Past." is a campaign to stop the prostitution of our nation's children. The campaign seeks to protect and inspire hope in girls who have survived commercial sexual exploitation; prosecute and increase penalties for pimps and johns; and disable demand. For more information, visit www.AFNAP.org.

About The Schapiro Group

The Schapiro Group is a data-driven strategic consulting firm based in Atlanta. The firm provides services in the areas of communications, marketing, and campaigns for a variety of clients, including corporate, advocacy, and nonprofit clients.

SOURCE Women's Funding Network