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The number is much greater
Are there any children’s calls on the SOS helpline in the First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjashi searching help and advice for problems with juvenile prostitution?
- On the free SOS helpline for children and young last year we had only 3 cases for juvenile prostitution, which is another indicator that it is a disguised form, which is difficult to discover. Both calls addressed the individual cases of juvenile prostitution, while in the third case two juvenile girls were took in hidden buildings. For these cases we alert the competent institutions from which we received a reply that they are acting according to the complaints. However, we believe that the dark number and the number of unreported cases for child abuse in reality are much bigger.

According to Your knowledge, is the appearance of juvenile prostitution is more characteristic for smaller areas or larger cities?
- This occurrence exists in all areas. The main reason is the material factor. However, it is easily to found in rural areas, than in larger cities.

By which signs can some child that is included in juvenile prostitution be recognized? Is there any typical behavior that parents should pay attention to?
- Children often show signs that something is happening to them, but all parents do not recognize these reactions and do not react in time. There are even cases when parents know about this occurrence and they approve it. Usually it is about adolescents who can be easily influenced by adults, and the pressure from the poor economic situation is only an additional factor for them to enter in the waters of prostitution. There is a lack of communication between parents and children. They often feel misunderstood and there is no one to give them an advice for everyday problems. But most importantly it appears that parents have a lack of controlling mechanism. When parental care is missing the state through its social and educational institutions must act preventively to protect the children. However parents have a special responsibility. Responsible parenthood can be the best prevention from children abuse.

How to help children that are going through such an occurrence?
- Psychosocial support should help the reconciliation and rehabilitation of the children that are in shelter for children-victims of child prostitution and sexual abuse, with active involvement of a professional team that consists of physiologist, psychiatrist, social worker and pedagogue. If the parents knew and approved of the sexual abuse for gaining material benefit, in that case we are asking those parents to lose their parental right and to be charged with criminal charges.

How do you estimate the work of the state institutions in this country in dealing with juvenile prostitution?
- Preventive programs should be conducted by the schools, families, and media and with that they are going to influence the protection of the country from child prostitution. The country should establish archive of information’s from the SOS phone lines, the centers for social work, the police, the schools and health institutions on a national level for cases of child abuse and child prostitution, so that they can act as prevention and operationally as well. Authorities should make more severe sanctions for the perpetrators of such abuses, and the schools, centers for social abuse, health institutions, the citizens, and the families as well, should act more actively in the frames of their power if there are any signs of child abuse in any form they should report that and should encourage children to report the sexual abuse.