Sexual exploitation can happen anywhere and Kristin Trotter, Sea to Sky Adolescents' Freedom From Exploitation (SAFFE) project co-ordinator, said Squamish is no exception.
"Sexual exploitation can happen anywhere and there are signs this is happening in our community," Trotter said. "It can be as subtle as teens exploiting each other to prostitution."
Local teens as young as 14 are becoming victims, said Trotter, so organizers are spreading education - the first defence against sexual exploitation. The 11th annual Stop the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth Awareness Week, March 8 to 14, is designed to raise awareness of a growing problem.
"We want to educate parents and youth workers in terms of what to look for and what might be indicators of sexual exploitation," Trotter said. "In the end, violence like this is preventable."
Sexual exploitation has become a creative art for some people, said Trotter. Through explicit and harassing text messages, emails and coercion over the Internet, youth are being assaulted.
"One of the greatest risks is that technology that facilitates sexual exploitation. Sometimes it is not as obvious as street prostitution because it happens behind Internet passwords," Trotter said.
Trotter said youth workers are not seeing kids standing on the streets, but many young people in the community are still at risk.
"There are a number of youth couch surfing because they're unable to return home. These youth need a place to stay and are often manipulated into sexual favours in exchange for accommodation," Trotter said.
Leading up to and during the Stop the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth Awareness Week, a number of activities are planned to educate and empower the community.
Taking Care of Ourselves and Taking Care of Other (TCO), a non-profit theatrical group, presented the basics in sexual exploitation prevention at Howe Sound Secondary School earlier this week. Sea to Sky community service workers also attended workshops designed to give tools in identifying and dealing with sexual exploitation.
"Education is extremely important because it gives youth the tools to make effective choices when it comes to building relationships with new people," Trotter said.
During Stop the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth Awareness Week, community members are encouraged to wear a fuchsia ribbon to recognize the importance of creating awareness and preventing sexual exploitation.
Trotter said fuchsia was chosen because it is a combination of red for "red light" districts and purple, the provincial colour for violence prevention. The ribbons will be available at the Howe Sound Women's Centre.
The SAFFE Project will also be running one-minute advertisements on local radio stations approximately three times a day, March 8 to 14.
