I wasn’t referring to that thread specifically, but please do read it. It contains posts like this one:
I remember driving through San Francisco’s theater district decades ago and seeing at least 100 streetwalkers. Perhaps there were other red-light districts as well. Add to this those “on other shifts”, several hundred working in advertised massage parlors, bars, as well as those more hidden and it’s easy to conclude that there are at least 1000 prostitutes working in San Francisco at any one time, probably much more. Because of the high turnover, you’d need to multiply by a largish factor to get women who have ever worked as prostitutes. Extrapolate to the entire U.S.A. and the number of prostitutes is certainly in 6 digits, and, even accounting that places like S.F. will have much more than “their share,” likely over a million altogether.
How many of these are “coerced” or “underage”? I don’t know but the most criminal encounters will not be easily advertised or seen.
And there are many 18-year olds who, through immaturity, drugs, debt, or threats are easily coerced. Are these not victims, or do only 15-year olds count?
I’ve already stipulated that some of the most alarming numbers seem way off the mark. But one can reject specific numbers and still recognize that the problem is serious.