Gangs as pimps: youth violence and prostitution in Central America

Using self-report surveys among teens in Central America, some of the main hypotheses about youth violence are tested for the region. It is found that poverty does not help explain gang membership. Gangs concentrate and promote youth violence. More than money incentives, the gangs give their members an opportunity to increase their power and their sexual activity. Sexual violence in a highly macho scenario acts as a trigger to girl's prostitution. Acting as pimps, local gangs, more than international mafias, use, promote and protect adolescent's prostitution.