Child trafficking and teen prostitution aren't confined to other countries. A new study from the San Diego Association of Governments shows this kind of exploitation exists right here at home. KPBS reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.
SANDAG researchers interviewed 200 homeless and runaway children in San Diego County.
One in three children said they'd been sexually exploited. Two in five who'd been exploited have left the county to engage in prostitution.
Manolo Guillen directs the Action Network , a group that fights child trafficking. He says San Diego is part of a circuit.
Guillen : There are cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Las Vegas, all part of the same trafficking circuit. We know that this is not a local issue. This is an issue where children are being trafficked from city to city, state to state.
The report reveals sexually exploited youth were much more likely to report they'd been abused as young children.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
