Our children are being exploited in increasing numbers; and not directly by paedophiles either, yet there is no community outcry, no angry mob beating down doors, no fliers being plastered through-out communities. Instead our communities aren't only silent about these exploitations of children, but they're accepted, even welcomed in some cases. Which leaves me wondering, why is there so much hatred for paedophiles and yet not for these other exploits of children which are just as bad, if not worse? Now please don't take this the wrong way, I am completely 100% against paedophilia, but I don't limit my outrage to just those who directly, physically rape our children, but instead I direct it to ANY and ALL sexual exploitation of children, period.
In this post I will briefly discuss the 7 ways our children are being exploited in the hope that our communities may finally wake up to what is going on and the same sort of outrage which paedophilia achieves, could be directed to these exploits as well.
1. Advertisers & Marketing
Open up a kids clothing catalogue and take a hard realistic look at the way their posed, and how they're made up. Perhaps after taking a look you'll start to understand the tip of this iceberg. Increasingly children are being posed in adult, mostly sexually explicit ways in order to sell junk to the relatively newly formed "tween" market. But the problems with the "tween" market, which comprises 6-12 year olds, don't stop at simple catalogues, but extend to a whole range of products produced and marketed directly to this demographic which encourage them to act in adult & sometimes sexually explicit ways.
2. Adult orientated textiles
It has now gotten to a point where you can walk into the girls section of any department store and find an assortment of sexually explicit, adult style clothing. Padded, push-up bra's are now available for children as young as EIGHT! G-STRINGS (Thongs) are available for toddlers as young as FOUR! And Bikini's can be purchased for babies whom aren't even ONE YEAR OLD. But the problem isn't exclusive to girls underwear and swimwear. There are mini-shirts for toddlers, see through and plunging neckline shirts for 6 year olds, in fact if you can think of it in adults clothing, be it men's or women's it will exist for children now days.
The slogans printed on children's clothes now days leaves a lot to be desired as well. I seen one the other day for young girls which read "How I am meant to know what's right?", which as far as I can see only encourages girls to act stupid and for sexism to be rife.
3. Social Networking
As I discuss in my recent post "Paedophiles and Social Networking" parents, family and friends are placing naked, or near naked photo's of their children on social networking sites, where perhaps unknown to them, anyone on the planet can view the images. If you haven't checked it out already I suggest you do.
But more than just the images being placed on social networking is the direct risk of exposure to paedophiles, fake profiles, identity scam and cyber-bullying that allowing our children to use social networks brings. The mere fact that they're allowed to use social networks unsupervised puts them at even greater risk.
4. Music Videos & Song Lyrics
Listen to the lyrics of any of the current Top 10 songs and you'll find degradation of women, sexually explicit language, the description of sexually explicit acts and drug use. Watch their music videos and you'll see much of the same. As children idolise these performers they copy them, and form their views to social subjects based on the lyrics in these songs.
What's more Music Videos containing highly graphic sexual imagery and degradation of women can be viewed any Saturday or Sunday morning amongst or immediately following the kids cartoons. These videos have become little more than softcore pornography and yet we allow our young children to not only watch it, but to idolise and mimic it!
5. TV Shows & Pop Film
Film & TV seem to have lost their ability to produce quality family entertainment. Instead we're bombarded by a constant stream of sexual orientated language and scenes, adult themes, swearing, softcore porn and hardcore violence, even during childrens viewing times.
Icons like Warner Brothers loony toons are no longer innocent, lovable family entertainment. Now they've been recreated into a crime solving, ninja force through Warner Brothers latest concept "Loony Toons Unleashed". The premise of the show is that they go around vigilante` style killing and beating up "bad guys". While some of the old time sound bytes like Bugs Bunnies iconic "what's up doc" are still present in the show, the characters are almost unrecognisable. It's a trend that has hit every popular 70's and 80's children's classic, turning them all into violent reincarnations of their former selves.
6. Tween market peer-pressure
With advertisers pushing their adult orientated "tween market" so hard, kids are no longer able to be kids. For those who try they only face ridicule and peer pressure to conform. Now days 7 year olds feel it's not only appropriate but necessary to wear make-up, to dress like adults, to have cell phones and all the rest. Children as young as 8 are now deciding to experiment with sex, which the market has confused them into thinking equates to love, with their "boyfriends" & "girlfriends".
7. Sexting
With 6 year olds now owning cell phones, and a high charged sexual advertising environment around them it should come as very little surprise that pre-teens are sending naked &/or sexually explicit photo's of themselves to their friends by way of MMS. Unfortunately this often leads to the image being forward to all the students at the child's school and can end up literally anywhere, including posted on the internet for all to see, including paedophiles.
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