Fighting child prostitution

VANCOUVER — The fight against child prostitution in Victoria just got a new weapon. Ottawa will give close to $500,000 dollars to a project aimed at stopping child prostitution in the early stages.

The MP for Victoria, David Anderson, made the announcement Friday afternoon. He pointed to studies that show 10 to 15 per cent of prostitutes are young. "The average age of entry in the sex trade is 14 to 15, however some of these kids have had their first sexual experience as young as six or seven years of age and it is not a pretty picture," said Anderson. "The kids say they need all the help we can give them."

The money goes to Victoria's Capital Region Action Team. It focuses on kids newly recruited into prostitution.

Written by CBC News Online staff