Children on the Run

Jenny * is 14 years old; she sits in a squad room of the New York City Police Department. A few hours ago she was arrested for prostitution; this could be the luckiest day of her life.

Jenny is a runaway from Minneapolis. She’s been on the street for almost two years. Jenny’s pimp, whom she thinks of as her boyfriend, outfitted her with a false ID that matched her looks, not her age. The officer who arrested Jenny thought she was an adult. Fortunately, Jenny panicked. She forgot the story her pimp had worked out for her and blurted out everything: her real name, her age, that she had a home and a mother waiting for her.

About the Author

Maggie Gallagher

Maggie Gallagher is the author of four books on marriage and is a longtime contributor to National Review.

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Jenny * is 14 years old; she sits in a squad room of the New York City Police Department. A few hours ago she was arrested for prostitution; this could be the luckiest day of her life.

Jenny is a runaway from Minneapolis. She’s been on the street for almost two years. Jenny’s pimp, whom she thinks of as her boyfriend, outfitted her with a false ID that matched her looks, not her age. The officer who arrested Jenny thought she was an adult. Fortunately, Jenny panicked. She forgot the story her pimp had worked out for her and blurted out everything: her real name, her age, that she had a home and a mother waiting for her.