Watch out for warning signs including changes in behavior and make sure to talk to your child without judgment.
Those were just a few of the key pieces of advice at a forum at North Delta Secondary Wednesday evening, the Public Education Night on the topics of human trafficking, child exploitation and gangs.
The session, presented by the Delta Police Department in collaboration with the Delta School District, was an opportunity for parents, educators and youth to gain insights from experts on the ways young people can find themselves sexually exploited as well as become lured into a gang life. Often the two can go hand-in-hand when it comes to girls.
Delta Deputy Police Chief Harj Sidhu began the session by noting the issues are occurring everywhere including Delta, which is why awareness is so important.
“Yes, these issues do happen here in Delta. They’re not something we see just on the evening news or happening in the big cities around us. It’s happening in our community and we need to educate ourselves and have an understanding of what these issues are, and we’re never going to one hundred per cent mitigate them, but know how can we learn some techniques, information to give our youth resilience to make choices,” said Sidhu
He admitted officers also need to have the training to be able to spot the signs of child exploitation, adding coordination with schools and others are needed for an effective response.
Guest speaker Jewel Kells-hardcastle with the Pacific Community Resource Centre – Stop Exploiting Youth, explained how sexual exploitation is a subtle, multi-stage victimization process.
The grooming involves victim selection, gaining access, trust development, gradual desensitization which can appear as innocent questions and the beginnings of physical contact, followed abuse and post-abuse maintenance to ensure a continued relationship.
The perpetrators, often someone in the victims’ lives, seek out young people who are vulnerable including those with substance abuse or mental health issues, low cognitive functioning, a history of sexual abuse, lack of family support, poor self-image and a lack of belonging.
Tactics include flattery, promises gifts, misrepresenting themselves, especially online, all leading to a young person becoming isolated from their social connections as well as threats and coercion.
Girls are the primary victims, while young men are mainly the victims of online sextortion. She noted parents and caregivers should be aware of red flags including social isolation, lifestyle changes, unexplained gifts as well as their own gut feelings something isn’t right.
Talking to young people about sexual grooming includes creating a safe space without anger or judgment, allowing youth to provide their own definitions first, being mindful of the emotional conversation and following the young person’s lead about the discussion’s pace and length.
Cpl. Bob Sangha with the Combined Special Forces Unit (CFSEU-BC), the provincial integrated anti-gang agency, said there is much overlap when it comes to the tactics and techniques with gang recruitment, suggesting parents as well as educators look for the signs.
Unlike poverty being a big factor in joining gangs in the United States, needing money is not really a motivation here, he said.
When it comes to gang-affiliated sexual exploitation, it mainly happens to girls who then find themselves forced to recruit other girls. Often, their first contact can be at house parties where drugs and alcohol are provided to them under the guise of being free, only to have payment then demanded.
The message stressed was to make sure to talk to your kids, and, if necessary, find someone they’re comfortable talking to if it’s not you.
