PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 21 (UPI) -- Rhode Island police looking for a 16-year-old runaway say they were shocked to discover no laws barring underage girls from performing at strip clubs.
With no state laws or Providence city ordinances specifically barring minors from such activities, police say they couldn't stop minors from stripping for money even if they witnessed such a performance in person, the Providence (R.I.) Journal reported Tuesday.
"I've been doing this a long time," said youth services Sgt. Carl Weston, "and I can't find anything that says it's illegal for a 16-year-old or a 17-year-old to take her top off and dance."
The discovery of the situation has sparked worries that teenage strippers could easily move from dancing into prostitution, which is also currently legal in the state. Venues with city liquor licenses are required to keep the teenagers from drinking, but not off the stage, the Journal reported.
"You can't serve alcohol if you're under 18," Weston told the newspaper, "but you can be the target of a man's groping hands at age 16."
