to feel sick every time I hear someone say

[FocaultOff]

child prostitute. Is it just semantics to prefer prostituted child? I'm reading all these news articles from both current day and the 1980s and 1990s and it really seems to be that the children being described are first and foremost prostitutes, secondly they happen to be children - when surely it should be that they are children first, who are being prostituted. So far I think I've only read one article in the Belfast Telegraph that made the distinction.

Is it splitting hairs or does it indicate perhaps why vulnerable children in care find themselves being abused if the society in which they live then defines them as a prostitute?

You're right Creighton, up to a point, but the broadcasters for the Ipswich case changed their approach - they started describing the women who were killed as prostitutes but changed later to referring to them as women working as.... At lead they did in my local area (South East). One of the Ripper's first victims was not a sex worker (for want of a better phrase). It's all so awful and indicative of our attitudes!

There was a murderer here on the West Coast of Canada who wasn't caught for years. One reason was that he was killing women who were working as sex workers. The people who knew them, friends, fellow workers, charity people etc. were telling the RCMP that women were disappearing in terrifying numbers but they were fobbed off because of what the women did. Everyone here knew there was a serial killer but the Police wouldn't listen. Here is the Wiki.

The same is true of all the Aboriginal women who disappear. Here. Seems if you want to kill people, just make sure they are women or young boys, of colour, who work in the sex trade. You will never be caught.

Poshpaula is right, remember being angry that the media kept referring to the murdered women as prostitutes, I live in the south east. After a week or so they changed their terminology.

I guess it's good that that happened at all, Willowstar - it shows an increased awareness since the 1970's/early '80's when Sutcliffe was operating. At least people are starting to think about the terms used. Still a long way to go though, looking at the information on this thread. And perhaps the press coverage of the very recent murder in South Africa - The Sun showing the victim in a bikini on their front page. Sorry If I've gone off track.