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Police have taken in 20 teenage girls in Shanghai, China, who have been offering sex to earn pocket money.
Among those arrested are mostly students under 18 years old and two under 14.
Three of the suspects are believed to be the masterminds behind the "teenage prostitution ring" and face charges of offering sex services and inducing classmates and friends to enter the business, reported Shanghai Daily.
The girls were caught after a customer reported to police that he had a valuable watch stolen from him.
According to district prosecutors, the "ring" was established in 2009 when the three girls started offering sex services and looked for more girls to join them.
They introduced classmates into the business and earned commissions from the fees they earned.
The girls solicited for sex on a website on which they asked customers whether they needed young girls to "play with". They would then arrange for an appointment, typically at hotels late at night.
Fees for such services could go up to 1,000 yuan (S$199.70).
A vocational school student nicknamed Xiao Wen told prosecutors she got into the business because she believed it was a quick way to earn the extra buck.
She said: "I don't want to be a normal worker like my parents, living a hard life to earn money."
"To me, it's not even realistic or worthwhile to study hard, go to university and have a decent job."
"I didn't mean to drag my friends into trouble. They all love to do the job because our parents never give us enough pocket money to spend, but money is needed in every way," she added.
Prosecutors revealed that the girls some from families with decent economic backgrounds, however, they entered the trade because of the lure of lucrative cash, not realising they were breaking the law.
Many of them were unashamed of what they do and would contact their customers whenever they didn't have enough pocket money to go shopping, prosecutor Han Konglin told the Chinese paper.
Prosecutors blamed a lack of moral education in schools and families for allowing something like this to flourish. Some parents spoil or abuse their daughters, while schools ignore moral education, they said.
The incident has also revealed loopholes in management of local hotels. Motel 168, Home Inns and, Jinjiang Inn were all found to have allowed girls under 18 years to check into rooms by using other people's ID cards.
