sexual exploitation awareness week.

fyi, sexual exploitation isn't something that only happens in far away impoverished nations around the world. it's going on here, in canada, in alberta, in calgary. it's a huge problem.

people often think that unless you are standing out on the corner wearing skimpy clothes selling yourself then you aren't being sexually exploited. that's a lie. while that is a form of exploitation, there's a whole lot more to it and a lot of it is secretive, behind closed doors.

when you are starving and have no where to stay for the night and someone offers you a floor to crash on in a warm house and a little bit of food in exchange for sex, that is what sexual exploitation is. it's exchanging things such as money, food, shelter, drugs, for sex.

sometimes it's hard not to think 'well get a job, take care of yourself, you don't have to do these things'. but it's not that easy. when you are being exploited it is usually about taking your power to chose away.

i work at a treatment centre for sexually exploited youth (under 18 years old). every time someone asks me where i work i get a little bit nervous for their reaction. a lot of people just look at me with a blank stare and so 'oh wow' and then quickly change the topic.

i realize that this is not an easy issue to talk about and it usually is rather uncomfortable. however, as cliche as it sounds, you should know that the youth that i work with are just like you and i, just like your daughter or son. they love to play 'crazy eights', paint their nails, watch the little mermaid, and sing karaoke!

i wish sometimes that people could come to work with me and hang out with my youth, they would quickly realize that, yes they do have some issues, but don't we all?

although it may be an awkward topic to talk about, i encourage you to google 'sexual exploitation awareness week', lots of articles will come up as it is, like the the title of this post says, sexual exploitation awareness week. educate yourself in what's going on in your city.

here is a link to a article from CNN. it's from the united states, however i don't think there is a huge difference from us to the them, the issues are one in the same. take a look....

http://hubpages.com/hub/CNN-documentary-Selling-the-girl-next-door