Together WE Will Prevent Child Prostitution

Together WE Will Prevent Child Prostitution

Everyday numerous children worldwide encounter issues that challenge their right to freedom. Although sexual exploitation of children is predominantly equated with the Third World, there are an estimated 10,000 youth who have fallen victim to this atrocity in Canada. In countless cases, prostitution has resulted in drug abuse and contraction of multiple sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, these innocent children often die from being beaten and raped. It is therefore prudent that the issue of child prostitution is immediately addressed by all as its effects are detrimental.

If children are not properly educated about the effects of underaged sexual exploitation, there will be a higher likelihood of them being forced to satisfy a pedophile’s sexual gratification due to their naivety and innocence. When convinced to leave with a stranger who offers them candy or money, countless children have naively jumped at the opportunity, not fully understanding the motives of the outsider. Generally, when a child is abducted, they are not only sexually abused, but also face physical and verbal abuse from the kidnapper. If these children do not receive therapy or counseling, and face poverty, this may become, in essence, their transformation from an innocent child to a prostitute. It is therefore evident that everyone need to educate these children as soon as possible to not affiliate themselves with strangers. Although the colloquial message, ‘don’t talk to strangers’ is highly advocated when situations involving child abductions arise, it seems to becomes less apparent as the situation is resolved. The abatement of the matter only results in further abductions after a certain period of time, which therefore demonstrates the necessity for this message to be consistently enforced. After reviewing this information, it is unequivocal that education regarding sexual exploitation for minors will aid in reducing the number of child prostitutes.

Although the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child to be any “human being below the age of 18,” it is essential to understand that a child is a human who is between the developmental stages of infancy and adulthood. There should not be an imposed age limit to define ‘what a child is’, as mental development fluctuates for each individual. When comparing two individuals, aged 17 and 19, it is unethical to treat them differently solely based on the fact that one has lived for another two years, as there is a high likelihood of both individuals sharing many similar morals and values. For all to support those who face the abuse of sexual exploitation, there should not be any strict exclusions enforced. At the very least, an effort to include individuals that are up to the age of 25 should be made, as they are still youth whose thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are very malleable. Therefore, the dissolution of the conventional definition of a child is prudent to fully address all child prostitutes.

Awareness of this issue in first world countries is imperative as many people do not associate child prostitution with countries, like Canada and the United States. By simply having everyone understanding and recognizing that child prostitution is an issue worldwide, media hype will be initiated, obtaining the attention of pedophiles and the government. In penalty of exposure, this should prompt sexual predators to stop pursuing and sexually abusing children. In addition, it will provide an incentive for governments to establish more stringent penalties and regulations associated with the sexual exploitation of children. Although the topic of child prostitution causes people to feel uncomfortable, discussing an incident where a child was sexually desecrated proliferates the awareness and knowledge of this issue and its effects.

After assessing the issue of child prostitution, the strategies presented are crucial to fully address this situation. Through the education, awareness and understanding of this issue, WE will be able to prevent and aid in the eradication of child prostitution.