It is something that no parent wishes on their child, but sexual exploitation is rife in many of the world’s poorest countries. Young girls and boys are sold for as little as $31 to local money lenders, and are then forced into a world of sexual abuse and crime.
The WCO are heavily involved in cutting short this atrocious crime. Children as young as five years old are being forced into prostitution every day, and people are turning a blind eye. It has to stop. At the WCO, we are making it our mission to end child sexual exploitation for good, and to give these children back their stolen innocence.
Sexual exploitation comes in many forms, and young girls in poor communities are at very high risk, as are the thousands of street children around the world. They are the nameless, faceless victims of the monsters who kidnap them and force them to work as sex slaves.
However, sexual exploitation often occurs in other ways as well. Thousands of young girls are forced into becoming child brides, and are routinely abused by their “husbands”. At the WCO, we campaign to get harsher laws on those who abuse children in this way, and to get counselling and therapy to help the children overcome the negative affect of a child marriage.
Nothing will ever give these children back the years they have lost to pain and exploitation. But we believe that with hard work, dedication, and support we can help these children put the past behind them and build a better future. We also hope that we can stop other children falling into the same traps.
Education is a key way of stopping sexual exploitation, and we know that by encouraging children to speak out against their abusers that we can start to change their situation for the better.
No child deserves to be treated in this way. Children should be able to feel safe and protected around adults, and not afraid for their lives or their safety. At the WCO, we are committed to making sure this happens.
