What Is Sexual Exploitation?

Sexual exploitation is a common youth issue that  involves someone under the age of 18 exchanging a sexual act for something in return. The purpose of this exchange is the exploitation of a child or youth's needs. A sexual act can be exchanged for money, food, shelter, protection, love, acceptance, popularity, and anything else. It is never the child or youth's fault, even in the case of self driven exploitation.

Some forms of sexual exploitation include:

• Online predators luring minors
• Issues around consent and peer pressure
• Sextortion
• Sex trafficking of minors
• Sugar daddy/sugar baby relationships or escorting type behaviour
• Selling of sexual acts by girlfriends of gang members

There are 5 warning signs of grooming into sexual exploitation. They do not all happen at once and not all of them need to be present. Reach out if your relationship displays any of the following:

1. Age Difference - Typically a 2-7 year age difference of someone in high school dating or having a friendship with someone a little older. This is a red flag as age difference creates a power imbalance. The exploiter has access to things such as transportation, money, or ID. They may also use their age to pressure youth into acting "more mature".
2. Gifting - This looks like someone buying youth things or treating youth to things that they can not typically afford themselves. This is done intentionally to build a debt that they will need to pay back later. Gifts include free drugs at parties, cell phones, or puppies.
3. Isolating - The purpose is to take youth away from their family or friends physically or emotionally. This can look like getting them to move out, keeping secrets from their parents, or taking them away from their friends.
4. Control - Can be physical, mental, or emotional through requiring secrecy, blackmailing, or withdrawing friendship, gifts, or love.
5. Unhealthy Changes - This person in a youth's life may cause them to skip school, be tired from late nights, party more often, develop a drug addiction, or hang around older peers and different friends.