 Consequences for offenders vary from country to country . In the People 's Republic of China , all forms of prostitution are illegal , but having sexual contact with anyone under the age of 14 , regardless of consent , will result in a more serious punishment than raping an adult . In the United States , the legal penalty for participating in the prostitution of children includes five to twenty years in prison . The FBI established " Innocence Lost " , a new department working to free children from prostitution , in response to the strong public reaction across the country to the news of Operation Stormy Nights , in which 23 minors were released from forced prostitution . 
