Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation is when you are pressured into sexual activity. You could face a threat of violence, or you might receive something in return – this could be gifts, drugs, money, or even the attraction of someone being nice to you.
Any young person can be a victim.
You might believe that the person cares for you and that you are in a loving relationship, but the reality is that they are abusing you. Once they have gained your trust, they will control you and the abuse can become even worse, such as being passed around for sexual activity with strangers.
Sexual exploitation can happen online or in person. If someone contacts you online with a view to making you do something sexual, it is known as online grooming. Equally, you could be approached in a public place like a park or outside your school.
Grooming might involve being encouraged to send nude pictures of yourself and could lead to you being physically sexually abused or blackmailed into sending money or more pictures to stop the exploiter from telling your family and friends.
What are the signs?
If you are being sexually exploited, you might not realise what is happening to you. You might be tricked into thinking that the other person is kind and will look after you, but if any of these things happen, you could be a victim of sexual exploitation:
- Someone older than you approaches you and says nice things about how you look. They might go on to offer you gifts or money.
- Someone contacts you online and asks for your personal details. They might send you something sexual and ask for something in return
- You are in a relationship with someone older than you and they try to separate you from your family or friends
- You are threatened with violence if you don’t carry out a sexual activity
You might believe this is normal or that you are to blame for what is happening to you, but this is never true and you should get help as soon as possible.
Other people might notice some of these things about you, or you might notice a friend behaving in this way:
- Going missing from school or getting into trouble more than usual
- Being secretive
- Having mood swings
- Having money or gifts that can’t be explained
- Sexual behaviour, such as sending sexually explicit photos from a mobile phone
- Using drugs and/or alcohol
- Having bruises or other injuries which can’t be explained
What could happen to me?
As with all types of exploitation, you might feel comfortable to start with, but when things get worse and you want to escape, you feel trapped and unable to get out of the situation.
Once the person who is exploiting you has your trust, they may try to make you do something sexual, such as sending a nude picture of yourself. Once you have sent a picture, you lose control of it and they could use it to blackmail you into doing something, or it could be published online or shared on social media.
You could find yourself being introduced to strangers and forced into sexual activity with them. Not only is this extremely dangerous, there is the risk of sexually transmitted infections or an unplanned pregnancy.
During the process you might have become separated from your family and friends – your abuser might have told you that they don’t care for you in the same way, or they are not good for you. This can make you feel incredibly alone and have a serious effect on your mental health.
You might be introduced to drugs or alcohol at parties by the person who is exploiting you. This could leave you unable to make decisions about your safety and put you at even more risk of being abused. If you become addicted to drugs or alcohol you could become dependent on the person exploiting you and more willing to do whatever they tell you.