Street prostitution

An example of street prostitution.

Street prostitution is a common scenario for prostitution.

In street prostitution, the prostitute (often known as a streetwalker) solicits customers while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, usually dressed in skimpy, suggestive clothing. Often the prostitute appears to mind his or her own business and waits for the customer to initiate contact. The act is performed in the customer's car or in a nearby rented room. This is the lowest paid and most dangerous form of prostitution; street prostitutes are often drug addicts and are commonly subjected to violence by both their pimps and customers.

Street prostitutes may or may not have a pimp. The relationship between pimp and prostitute is often abusive.

Pimps often target vulnerable women and young girls who have run away from home, initially offering themselves as lovers or father-figures. After introducing their victims to prostitution, they often use beatings and drug addiction to maintain their victim's dependency. Pimps are also commonly low-echelon drug dealers.

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To be written:

• the dangers of being a streetwalker
• drug addiction as driver for need for cash
• privation of street prostitutes' lives as driver for addiction
• crack and heroin as particular problems
• pimps and panderers
• initatives to make life safer for street prostitutes
• initatives to help street prostitutes leave prostitution
• community problems created by street prostitution
• law enforcement initatives
• entrapment of street prostitutes and johns

• the badger game and other scams

• Street prostitution by Michael S. Scott, US DOJ Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series, No. 2