Teen prostitution is on the rise, but not particularly at the MOA

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Mall of America officials are disputing a Newsweek article in which an FBI agent says the mall "is a huge recruiting center" for teen prostitution. The article features the Bloomington mall in a photo and an interview with a 16-year-old girl who said she was approached by three pimps while shopping. Mall officials say they have many methods in place to deter pimps---including a parental escort policy, two outreach programs and a substation of the Bloomington police. Leslie Johnson is a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities--and is involved with an outreach program targeting troubled teens at the mall. She says there is a rise in the number of teenage prostitutes--but it's not just at the Mall of America. Johnson says anywhere teens congregate is a magnet for people who try to recruit teens into prostitution. In her work with the Catholic Charities' Hope Street Program, she sees many homeless teens who are vulnerable to predators.

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