As the question says really, completely hypothetical question, I don't know any 16 yr olds but in a thread a while back talking about young punters and it was mentioned that legal age to give sexual consent is 16 here so you can buy sex at 16, it's got me curious as to whether you could legally sell sex at 16?

I'm not talking about anything regarding moral views but just the technicality of it

AFAIK it's illegal until you are 18

It's not illegal for the 16 year old to sell sex, it is illegal for the clients to pay someone who is under 18.

Isn't the law an ass.

I know it is to protect the young but in Scotland you could marry without a parents consent and have a couple of kiddies that aren't born illegitimately but you couldn't be a prossie. 

Big difference between having sex/marrying/having kids & being a sex worker imo.

Younger girls are already incredibly vulnerable in this industry, which is mostly unregulated & potentially dangerous.. And there are loads of men who prey on the younger WGs already. to be a WG you need to have your wits about you and be able to keep yourself safe.

I was lucky to read the advice on here when I was starting out, without this board I wouldn't have been prepared for the clients who tried to take advantage when I was young and new.

I'm very glad the law exists to protect any underage girls in prostitution by making it so that they can tell the police, and also so that punters will be put off seeing a girl who is potentially underage.

Wasn't there a case of a 15 year old selling sex where the police took away all her money???

Yeah a school girl who joined an agency and made thousands and got caught when a teacher found lube and the agency card in her school locker?
That was a bit messed up, the girl didn't break the law to earn the money and by taking it away it guarantees she was back doing it as soon as she could! But I understand why they didn't want to let her keep it, kind of.

Quote from: Lady_Lust_XXX on 12 July 2015, 04:38:26 pm

Isn't the law an ass.

I know it is to protect the young but in Scotland you could marry without a parents consent and have a couple of kiddies that aren't born illegitimately but you couldn't be a prossie. 

Big difference between having sex/marrying/having kids & being a sex worker imo.

Younger girls are already incredibly vulnerable in this industry, which is mostly unregulated & potentially dangerous.. And there are loads of men who prey on the younger WGs already. to be a WG you need to have your wits about you and be able to keep yourself safe.

I was lucky to read the advice on here when I was starting out, without this board I wouldn't have been prepared for the clients who tried to take advantage when I was young and new.

I'm very glad the law exists to protect any underage girls in prostitution by making it so that they can tell the police, and also so that punters will be put off seeing a girl who is potentially underage.

 I disagree, I think having children is a more life changing, major event than being manipulated by punters could be. You need far more maturity and experience to raise children and understand the legal implications of marriage, than for selling sex I think.

Quote from: TheLittleMatchGirl on 15 July 2015, 01:36:35 pm

I disagree, I think having children is a more life changing, major event than being manipulated by punters could be. You need far more maturity and experience to raise children and understand the legal implications of marriage, than for selling sex I think.

I concur, especially on the children part. At the end of the day, you can stop SW if you find out its not for you and you have an alternative lined up. Ceasing to be a parent if you realize it's a poor fit is not particularly doable.

I'm shocked! 

You seriously think that a 16 year old can just stop sw after he/she has tried it and it NOT have some devastating effect on their lives ? 

Whilst there are many 16 year olds and teens that are mature beyond their years, there are many who are not and I shudder to think of some of the shit that goes on with the young ones in this industry (sorry no disrespect meant to the younger ladies here) but I personally have been told at the SW project I go to about how some young ones are suffering because they don't have the guts/courage/maturity to speak up and say no to services they are not comfortable with.  Don't you think that would have a detrimental effect on a person's life?  Mentally and physically. 

I may have misunderstood your point as your argument is that parenthood is a lifetime commitment whereas sex work is something that you can stop but I hardly think someone so young would just be able to shrug it off and move on so easily and sadly with all the stupid media portrayals too many naive youngsters enter this industry and get used and abused in a way that is unbearable and I don't think it's right to speak so flippantly about it. 

Sorry but that's my opinion and I appreciate we all have different ones. 

J x

Quote from: Jenny 2 on 16 July 2015, 05:52:32 pm

Quote from: The_Lynx on 16 July 2015, 03:08:52 pm

Quote from: TheLittleMatchGirl on 15 July 2015, 01:36:35 pm

I disagree, I think having children is a more life changing, major event than being manipulated by punters could be. You need far more maturity and experience to raise children and understand the legal implications of marriage, than for selling sex I think.

I concur, especially on the children part. At the end of the day, you can stop SW if you find out its not for you and you have an alternative lined up. Ceasing to be a parent if you realize it's a poor fit is not particularly doable.

I'm shocked! 

You seriously think that a 16 year old can just stop sw after he/she has tried it and it NOT have some devastating effect on their lives ? 

Whilst there are many 16 year olds and teens that are mature beyond their years, there are many who are not and I shudder to think of some of the shit that goes on with the young ones in this industry (sorry no disrespect meant to the younger ladies here) but I personally have been told at the SW project I go to about how some young ones are suffering because they don't have the guts/courage/maturity to speak up and say no to services they are not comfortable with.  Don't you think that would have a detrimental effect on a person's life?  Mentally and physically. 

I may have misunderstood your point as your argument is that parenthood is a lifetime commitment whereas sex work is something that you can stop but I hardly think someone so young would just be able to shrug it off and move on so easily and sadly with all the stupid media portrayals too many naive youngsters enter this industry and get used and abused in a way that is unbearable and I don't think it's right to speak so flippantly about it. 

Sorry but that's my opinion and I appreciate we all have different ones. 

J x

I can see where you're coming from, but The Lynx made a perfectly valid comparison which I can see the logic of. Maturity and vulnerability are related to age, but it's not the only factor. There are vulnerable people in their 30's and 40's but you can't have laws to protect them at the expense of everyone else. The age of 18 is set at that level because there are a lot of vulnerable people under that age, and once you're 18 you are regarded as an adult and therefore fully responsible for your own actions. There are plenty of sex workers under 18 who can take it in their stride. I was one myself, but you have to protect the vulnerable by setting reasonable limits and there's not a lot wrong with how it is.

Ditto.

Moreover, a too young and too fragile individual entering SW is hurting only herself. Someone jumping into parenthood and strongly regretting the decision (or even being visibly unprepared for it) hurts not just themselves, but also the child and any people who might have to pick up the slack for them. I've seen enough people who decided to play home and then couldn't cope either mentally or financially to the point that all the burden was on the partner, or worse yet, on the grandparents. And I don't talk about teen moms exclusively, either - a fair few of those are people in their twenties. Having children absolutely has way bigger consequences for your immediate surroundings.