Protecting Females from Sexual Exploitation

This program is designed to bring awareness to females aged 12 and up that there are gang members and others that are luring young First Nations females into heavy drug addictions with the ultimate plan to force them to work the streets of major cities in Canada as prostitutes. Hundreds of young women involved in prostitution have been murdered in Canada, some as young as 15. Young people get caught up in the sex trade because they're either running from something or to something. They may be running from physical, sexual or emotional abuse in the home or they may be running to what they see as excitement, freedom and independence. Some young girls think it's neat to wear sexually provocative clothing, stay out until the wee hours of the morning, abuse alcohol and drugs and sleep until noon or later. The hormonal changes of puberty result in the mind and body being out of sync, physical maturation and an overwhelming drive towards rebellion or independence are part of adolescence; naivety is combined with a sense of invulnerability. The combination can make a parent's life hell and professional intervention difficult, it can also set the stage for an insidious seduction by a pimp. Pimps often feign initial unconditional acceptance of a girl but as time goes on, they intimidate by holding valuable personal items (family pictures, stuffed animals) "in trust" to ensure their girls are under their control. Since there are no rules, pimps will also control their girls with brutal physical attacks or threats to attack the young person or someone dear to them. Although drawn to a flashy lifestyle and the promise of freedom, the tragedy and the irony is that young girls working the street are usually experiencing the ultimate in being controlled. Violence permeates all aspects of a sex trade worker's life, beginning with the early loss of trust and safety to the abuse from customers, pimps and onlookers. Leaving the sex trade is also dangerous because pimps and other sex trade workers will go to great and often vicious lengths to prevent the loss of a valuable commodity. The Young Warriors Network protecting females from sexual exploitation workshop is designed specifically to educate females about the pitfalls to avoid and the tactics gang members and pimps use to lure girls into prostitution. Females also gain a very extensive knowledge about alcohol and drugs and how pimps and gang members use these as a tool to entice girls away from their community and onto the mean streets of major cities right across Canada. The best way to protect our young women from becoming the victims of these ruthless thugs is by educating them about the realities that await them if they get caught up with the wrong people, people that are more than willing to use and abuse them.