Police should act

Abby Gillies at NZ Herald reports:

Prostitutes as young as 13 are earning up to $600 a night in South Auckland, says an MP who will be at a meeting called by community leaders to discuss an “outbreak” of underage street workers in the area.

Community and government representatives, including NZ First MP Asenati Lole-Taylor and party leader Winston Peters, will attend the open meeting hosted by Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board next Saturday.

The increasing number of underage prostitutes on the streets in Otara from Thursday to Saturday nights has shocked residents in the area.

Tina Herewini, a warden who patrols Otara’s town centre and parks, said there could be as many as 20 to 30 young girls lingering at the corner of Bairds Rd and Kew Lane.

Before one talks of further law changes, how about enforcing the current law.

Shouldn’t the Police be sending in a team to remove any under-age prostitutes and refer them to CYFS?

Prostitution is only legal when the prostitute is aged 18 or older. I’m not sure the law is the problem here – it is enforcing it.