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The film Very Young Girls introduces us to the cold hard facts of child sexual exploitation in the United states. The director, David Schisgall and his team, follow the women who work at GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Services) and the girls who use their services. The reality is that girls as young as thirteen are trapped in the cycle of sexual abuse at the hands of their pimps.
After the screening, Schisgall was joined by his co-directors, a social worker from GEMS and one of the girls in the film, Shaquana. Someone asked what it is that makes this girls stay in such a volatile, violent environment. Shaquana put in plainly,"We're not dumb... it's that we do not love ourselves enough and we connect with this person (pimp)...like a father figure." It is because they are so young that they fall prey to men who are out to exploit and abuse them. Any sign of attention is misinterpreted as a sign of affection. The social worker added that people need to be educated about these issues in their immediate communities.
There was no doubt that the audience was moved by the film. The film is dealing with an issue that is close to home, so to speak, since sexual exploitation is often shown to occur in very distant places. Perhaps films like this one will add to the dialogue to help these young girl get out of prostitution and have successful adult lives.
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