KANSAS CITY, MO. -
A Chillicothe man has admitted that he recruited young girls and sold them for sex.
He pleaded guilty in Federal Court after being caught in prostitution stings in Overland Park and Kansas City. Randal Jennings, 42, was busted pimping out two 17-year-old girls.
It's a shocking case. But, all the more so because it's so alarmingly common.
Jennings admitted he recruited five women to prostitute themselves for him. One started when she was just 14-years-old.
The experts say what you see out in the open, on the streets, only scratches the surface.
"The visible issue is only 10-percent of what's happening in this city," said Kristy Childs, Ex. Dir. of Veronica's Voice.
Childs runs Veronica's Voice, a group that helps woman escape prostitution. She said hearing about Jennings pimping out young girls isn't surprising.
"The demand is so big and the purchasers want younger and younger girls," said Childs.
Childs is glad police found Jenning's victims because often the younger girls are the hardest to find. But, 300,000 children in the US are pulled into prostitution every year.
"They're usually hidden because they're susceptible to being noticed that they're very young," said Childs.
Like in the Jennings case, meetings are often arranged over the internet. It's kept underground until the girls become women.
"When we look at their history, we find out they got involved in it nine, 10, 11, 12-years-old. And, they have a history of pimp control and what happens is drugs are being used to control them by the pimp. The drug has taken control of them," explained Childs.
Once police pick them up, girls are now given the option to come to Veronica's Voice to give them a chance to escape.
"It's that physiological cage you can't see. It's in the mind and they feel trapped," said Childs.
Police said pimps are often recruiting young girls on social networking sites like Facebook.
Link: www.veronicasvoice.org
He pleaded guilty in Federal Court after being caught in prostitution stings in Overland Park and Kansas City. Randal Jennings, 42, was busted pimping out two 17-year-old girls.
It's a shocking case. But, all the more so because it's so alarmingly common.
Jennings admitted he recruited five women to prostitute themselves for him. One started when she was just 14-years-old.
The experts say what you see out in the open, on the streets, only scratches the surface.
"The visible issue is only 10-percent of what's happening in this city," said Kristy Childs, Ex. Dir. of Veronica's Voice.
Childs runs Veronica's Voice, a group that helps woman escape prostitution. She said hearing about Jennings pimping out young girls isn't surprising.
"The demand is so big and the purchasers want younger and younger girls," said Childs.
Childs is glad police found Jenning's victims because often the younger girls are the hardest to find. But, 300,000 children in the US are pulled into prostitution every year.
"They're usually hidden because they're susceptible to being noticed that they're very young," said Childs.
Like in the Jennings case, meetings are often arranged over the internet. It's kept underground until the girls become women.
"When we look at their history, we find out they got involved in it nine, 10, 11, 12-years-old. And, they have a history of pimp control and what happens is drugs are being used to control them by the pimp. The drug has taken control of them," explained Childs.
Once police pick them up, girls are now given the option to come to Veronica's Voice to give them a chance to escape.
"It's that physiological cage you can't see. It's in the mind and they feel trapped," said Childs.
Police said pimps are often recruiting young girls on social networking sites like Facebook.
Link: www.veronicasvoice.org
