 Prostitution of children dates to antiquity . Prepubescent boys were commonly prostituted in brothels in ancient Greece and Rome . According to Ronald Flowers , the " most beautiful and highest born Egyptian maidens were forced into prostitution ... and they continued as prostitutes until their first menstruation . " Chinese and Indian children were commonly sold by their parents into prostitution . Parents in India sometimes dedicated their female children to the Hindu temples , where they became " devadasis " . Traditionally a high status in society , the devadasis were originally tasked with maintaining and cleaning the temples of the Hindu deity to which they were assigned ( usually the goddess Renuka ) and learning skills such as music and dancing . However , as the system evolved , their role became that of a temple prostitute , and the girls , who were " dedicated " before puberty , were required to prostitute themselves to upper class men . The practice has since been outlawed but still exists . 
