Child prostitution from the point of view of society and as a health question

Objective The social representations and the structural relationships related to chil d prostitution, as presented in the depositions made before of the Parliame ntary Comission Inquiry dealing with the problem are analyzed. Methods On the basis of qualitative methodology, the analysis attempts to identify the units of meaning present in the depositions. Results Data on the subject are presented by region. A vision of the social scene i s built up on the basis of the data such as to breing out the related histo rical and cultural determining factors. Conclusion The child juvenile prostitution is based on the commercialization of the bo dy as coercion or slavery is seen as a means of meeting the basis needs of survival. The need for social action is brought out, including that of coll ective health so that the theme does not serve only the amposes of rhetoric on statistics, because ia calls for decisive action.