BURST
“If a young teen sends a nude photo of themself in exchange for a gift card or a ride or something else that they want, they are being sex trafficked,” says Cathy Peters, the author of Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S.A. and How to Stop It.
Most children and many adults do not know that when they share explicit photos of themselves in exchange for a product or service, they are being trafficked. And once drawn into that world, it is hard to get out.
“Once you get seduced into sharing your body in exchange for a payout, you are hooked. The bad actors on the other end of the line have you and your image and they will use it to extort more from you.
“The speed with which demands for more escalates rapidly and can be deadly,” says Peters. In far too many cases, the victim is coerced into acts of self harm and even suicide.
Peters points to the cases where victims are enticed to meet someone they only met online.
“Kailey’s story is horrible” says Peters. “She was enticed to meet a man after just two weeks of online interaction. They went to a restaurant, drank alcohol, after which she went to his house. His friends joined them and she was raped. She fled, was caught and murdered.”
Peters joined a Conversation That Matters about the need to be hyper vigilant when dealing with anyone you don’t know online, especially if you are a teenager. See the video at vancouversun.com/tag/conversations-that-matter.
Learn More about our guest’s career at careersthatmatter.ca
Join us Sept. 22 for Conversations Live, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.