Sapporo, Japan, 2011
Japan JP
The victim is a 16-year-old girl whose mother was selling her into prostitution. Her mother had been selling her since she was in the sixth grade, and the victim gave all her earnings (about 10,000 yen per client) to her mother. The victim’s mother used the money to purchase drugs, and the victim also began using drugs, allegedly at her mother’s instigation. The victim used a cell phone dating service to contact clients. When the victim’s mother was arrested for the use of illegal stimulants, the victim was taken into a child consultation center. The center failed to identify that the victim was being forced into prostitution, and she was released from the center in November of 2010. Later investigations reveal that after her release, the girl returned to live with her mother, who continued selling her as a prostitute. The victim was arrested on August 17, 2011, for the use of illegal stimulants, and is now in a juvenile detention center. The arrest took place at the apartment where she lived with her mother and stepfather. Her stepfather has been indicted on drug charges, and her mother has been missing since July. The victim’s case was referred to a family court in August of 2011, and her trial is scheduled to start in late September.