Child Exploitation can take on many forms and many names. We could be talking about child sexual exploitation which is what most people automatically think of when they hear the term . There is also physical exploitation such as sweatshops who rely on child labour to produce their merchandise or provide services. There is also criminal expoitation such as drug dealers who use kids to run drugs knowing that if the child they use is young enough, they can not be prosecuted by the authoriites. Out of fear the children do not "give up" the person or persons whom are expoiting them. If you feel you know someone who is being expoited, make sure you speak out as they may be too scared to speak for themselves. If someone is expoiting one child or youth, chances are very high that they are also exploiting others. This is a very serious issue around the globe and we need to work together to stop it. International Cooperation between police forces is seeing a higher number of these people prosecuted but we need to further educate the general public on this issue. Human trafficing is also on the rise around the world and people are not even aware of it happening in their own backyard. An example of this on a national level in North America would be adults who look for teens with trouble at home or who have run away from home. They befriend them and promise to look out for them. As they build their comfort level with the child or youth they start them into drugs or other activities. Once they have them either hooked on drugs, convinced they can not make it on their own or just simply fearful for their lives or lives of those they love the adults start using them as prostitutes and drug dealers among other things. Quite often they will relocate them to another city far from where they are from to further isolate them and reduce the chances of the child or youth wanting to get free and go home or of people who know the child or youth finding them and getting them help. International trafficing is happening frequently and takes the form of promissing individuals (both male and female) that they could have a much better life in another country. Tey promise them real jobs and education among other things. when they have been smuggled into the new country they are sold to gangs or others and forced to work in sweat shops, drug labs, prostitution rigns, bath houses and so much more. Rarely do the victims look for help of the local authorities as theyy fear deportation, death of themselves or familiy members in their homeland, they are convinced that the local authorities are corrupt and work for the gangs and some children and youth are so embarassed that they were fooled into this and of what they have had to do. It is essential that if you have concerns or know of such happenings, you report it to your local or national authorities. email help@youthandviolence.com