What Is It?


There are as many kinds of abusive behaviour as there are types of hip hop or folk or emo or… well you get the drift. Like music, abuse can come in many different forms. Below you’ll find a few types of abuse/assault that you may have heard of. Remember, no type of abuse or assault is ever your fault.

Child Abuse:

“Child abuse refers to any form of physical, psychological, social, emotional or sexual maltreatment of a child whereby the survival, safety, self-esteem, growth and development of the child are endangered. There are four main types of child abuse: neglect, emotional, physical and sexual.” (source: RCMP Web Site)

Physical abuse:

Physical abuse happens when someone slaps, punches, kicks, pushes, burns, and/or shakes you.

Emotional abuse:

Emotional abuse can be yelling at you, threatening you, ignoring you, rejecting you, isolating you, telling you you’re worthless or that you were a mistake, saying things that make you feel hurt, unwanted and unloved.

Sexual abuse:

Sexual abuse happens if someone fondles your genitals, masturbates in front of you or makes you do the same, oral-genital contact, and vaginal and anal intercourse. Non-contact abuse, such as exposure, voyeurism, and child pornography.

Neglect:

Sometimes the person who is supposed to be taking care of you, doesn’t. This is called neglect. Neglect happens when your parent/guardian fails to provide basics like food, shelter, clothes, the chance to go to school, trips to the doctor when you’re sick, etc.

Dating Violence:

Dating violence is the verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse of one person in a relationship by the other, in an intimate relationship. Dating violence might include: pushing, shoving, hitting, choking, intimidation, threats, humiliation, insults, pressure, destruction of property, isolation, sexual relations without consent, unwanted sexual touching, or pressure to engage in humiliating or degrading sexual activity. (read more at loveisrespect.org)

Sexual Assault:

Sexual assault happens when an unwanted sexual act is done to one person by another. Usually sexual assault happens when someone uses force or threatens if you do not take part in sexual acts. Whether someone forces you to kiss, touch, or have oral/anal or vaginal intercourse, if you engage when you do not want to, then that is sexual assault.

Sexual assault is illegal, even if you know the person. If you’re unsure of whether or not what happened to you is sexual assault we’ve listed some different examples below. It’s still assault if:

  • you were kissing and touching and then were forced to have sexual intercourse against your will
  • you’ve had sex before, but this time said NO and were forced to have sex
  • you weren’t able to say NO or weren’t able to physically fight back (say, if you were passed out or asleep)
  • you said yes, but then changed your mind. You are allowed to change your mind at any point during sex

Sexual Exploitation:

Exploitation happens when someone uses another person for selfish purposes. A lot of people think that sexual exploitation only means prostitution (having sex in exchange for money or goods) or pornography. But like abuse, exploitation can happen in a whole range of situations.

Sexual exploitation can happen because of ‘little things’. For example, if someone asks you to give them a blowjob in exchange for a six-pack of beer, this is exploitation. Exploitation can take place in a variety of situations like performing sexual favours in exchange for drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, food, a place to stay, or acceptance into a peer group.

All of these practices can be demeaning or sometimes even life-threatening. If you don’t feel in control, then chances are the person exploiting you does. This is not right.

Sexual Exploitation quick facts:

  • It is against the law
  • In Canada, anyone under the age of 18 cannot legally consent to sell their body for sexual purposes.
  • Sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse, and is NEVER the fault of the young person involved.
  • It can begin in person or it can start as a relationship over the Internet.
  • It is not just a “big city thing”. It happens in everywhere: in the country, in small towns and in cities.
  • Both guys and girls can be sexually exploited and/or involved in the sex trade; their experiences can be very different.
  • There’s no single cause or explanation for it, and many factors can influence why or how a youth becomes sexually exploited.

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