March 5 to 11 marks the 20th annual in B.C.

The province identifies sexual exploitation youth under the age of 18 as any type of sexual activity in exchange for money, drugs, food, shelter or any other considerations. This is the case whether or not the child or youth considers themselves to be consenting.

In Canada, under the Criminal Code, it is a crime for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a person under the age of 16. The average age when youth are first exploited (male or female) is 13 to 15 years old, according to the May 2008 report, ItB次元官网网址檚 Not What Youth Think: Sexually Exploited Youth in British Columbia. Lesbian, gay and bi-sexual youth and those who have been kicked out or run away are at higher risk.

B次元官网网址淭he issue of child exploitation affects every community,B次元官网网址� says Ray Bernoties, deputy chief, Oak Bay Police Department. B次元官网网址淥n-line exploitation has made this even more challenging for parents as even when you think your child is safely upstairs, they could be being exploited.B次元官网网址�

Online exploitation can also take several forms including youth making and distributing sexual images of themselves, peers or sexual partners, being encouraged to post explicit images, lured into sexually exploitative situations through chat rooms and social networking sites.

B次元官网网址淗aving the computer in an open area in the house is a good idea,B次元官网网址� Bernoties said. B次元官网网址淧arents need to have difficult discussions with their kids in a non-judgemental fashion. I can tell you from years of policing, if someone thinks theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be judged, they wonB次元官网网址檛 tell you anything.B次元官网网址�

is part of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor GeneralB次元官网网址檚 Crime Prevention Information Series. It helps service providers, parents, guardians, teachers and others protect children and youth from sexual exploitation or leave exploitative situations.

B次元官网网址淚f kids donB次元官网网址檛 learn about sexual exploitation from their parents, theyB次元官网网址檒l learn it from somebody, and thatB次元官网网址檚 frightening,B次元官网网址� Bernoties said.

is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual telephone service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-563-0808. It provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence, including victims of human trafficking exploited for labour or sexual services.