Carrie N. Baker (ed): Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race, and Politics

Excerpt

Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race, and Politics, by Carrie N. Baker, is concerned with the sexual exploitation of juveniles in America and the various political and social movements in its opposition. Specifically, it focuses on a shift in views of juveniles involved in the sex trade. Whereas juveniles involved in the trade historically were seen as “child prostitutes” and deserving of punishment, recent social movements have promoted a contemporary view, one that views them as victims and survivors, as opposed to prostitutes, who deserve to be helped rather than punished. Baker explains that she wishes to understand how and why views evolved over time, how leaders gained support for their movements, and how gender, race, and class played a part in the movement. To do so, she utilizes two main theories to guide her research: Black feminist theory to understand how race, gender, class, and other forms of identity intersect and relate to politics, laws, policies, and the media; and social movement theory to understand how activists spark social movements and garner support for a cause. The result is a highly successful and engaging study. …