 Investigative journalist Julian Sher states that widespread stereotypes about the prostitution of children continued into the 1990s , when the first organized opposition arose and police officers began working to dispel common misconceptions . Criminologist Roger Matthews writes that concerns over pedophilia and child sexual abuse , as well as shifting perceptions of youth , led the public to see a sharp difference between prostitution of children and adult prostitution . While the latter is generally frowned upon , the former is seen as intolerable . Additionally , he states , children are increasingly viewed as " innocent " and " pure " and their prostitution as paramount to slavery . Through the shift in attitude , the public began to see minors involved in the sex trade as victims rather than as perpetrators of a crime , needing rehabilitation rather than punishment . 
