Schisgall, David (2007). Very young girls [motion picture]. New York: Showtime. Summary: Very Young Girls exposes the realities of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking that happens right here in American neighborhoods. This documentary interviews about a dozen young women aged 12 -21 who have been victims of sexual exploitation and then criminalized. Their tragic stories challenge general public perceptions of prostitution as a choice between consenting adults. The film shows that the average age of a prostitute is 13 years old and the children, most of whom are already under the care of social services or the justice system, enter the sex industry by being lured or kidnapped or sold and then raped by pimps often twice their age. The documentary follows the counseling work and advocacy done by GEMS, Girls Education and Mentoring Services of New York.
Additional comments: Viewers of this documentary will never again dress up for a "Pimps and Hoes" party and will be so moved to talk anyone from knowingly glamorizing an industry that enslaves young girls. One of the most poignant moments of the film was the acceptance speech by Rachel Lloyd, the founder and Executive Director of GEMS, of the Reebok Human Rights Award. She scolded the Academy Awards for the performance of "It's hard out here for a pimp", which glamorizes prostitution and the debasement and violence against women. This film will profoundly move young adults and force them to question the lyrics of hip hop and other projections by the media.
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