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our case to you
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...Waking up in the morning, not in your comfortable bedroom, but locked in a damp, wooden shack with no windows or fresh air? Can you imagine not spending your weekly allowance on candy and clothes but being beaten and abused if you don’t bring enough money home? Can you imagine that on a Saturday morning, instead of getting up to play video games, or getting ready to hang out with friends, you are forced to wake up and provide sexual services for up to 20 men in a day? Can you imagine? This is the reality facing 2 million children worldwide today. They are being exploited in the sex trade on a daily basis. And if circumstances were different...if you were born into a different family, into a different life, maybe in a different country, it could be you. This is a very scary thing to think about, but it's the truth—children in exploitative situations do not choose this reality. So it's for this reason that we want to make the case that YOU should care about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. To put it bluntly, we're privileged and just plain, lucky. We buy into an economic system that gives other young people the short end of the stick. Confused? No worries, we'll break it down for you. |  |
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The child sex industry permeates the fabric of the global economy and touches your life. For instance, think of all the clothing and accessories you purchase. Think about your desire and your need for these things. Now think about whose labour is being used to produce them, and what they're being paid for it. Are these decent wages? Many multinational corporations are looking to make a profit, at any “cost”....and will search for the cheapest and most productive labour source. |  |
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Now, what if the scenario was different? What if adults were paid fair wages for their work, allowing their children to attend school? Perhaps this would prevent them from being duped by pimps and traffickers who tempt them with false job offers and flashy lifestyles. Just think about that, for a minute. Then there's the push for economic gain. In other words, people even in the most remote parts of the developing world are receiving messages that having money is good, and with that money, you can buy the things that are “important”. This created and imposed necessity for material gain is a major factor driving the global sex trade in children as families try to join the ranks of the wealthy. In a situation where you have little else to offer, the child is a great commodity: the sale of a daughter could finance a TV set. All of this to live “the dream”? But whose dream? What is lost, for the exchange of material gain? Do you buy into this? Think about that now, for a minute. Then consider this:
We're happy to say that the world is taking notice of young people now more than ever, and listening to our beliefs, ideas and recommendations. This world does not just belong to adults; it belongs to all of us equally, and we, as young people have the right and the space to stand up and speak our minds. So let's pose this question to anyone who says otherwise: who understands better what exploited children are going through, and can develop a sense of solidarity with them, than other young people? And that's the justification for OneChild. What will you do? |
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Every action that you take, good or bad, creates a ripple affect. But a good action can inspire someone else to do something good, and theirs will inspire another…and theirs will inspire another…and another…and another…and that’s how positive change happens.