White Ribbon recommended practices

The following are White Ribbon’s recommended practices (9) when engaging youth in child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking prevention discussions:

Provoke critical thought when discussing child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking: Often students’ knowledge on child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking is based on unrealistic stereotypes found in media, thus making them more vulnerable to being targeted by real traffickers.

It’s important to foster critical thinking and equip them with the knowledge to accurately assess risks and fantasy-reality gaps in their relationships with others. 

In addition, critical thinking skills will allow youth to take leadership over their life choices as well as in their emotional and intellectual development.

Our What is Child Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking Lesson Plan was created to facilitate a conversation on the realities of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking in a safe and participative manner.

Unpacking child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking by exploring supporting concepts: Child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking heavily rely on gender-based violence, inequity and systemic marginalization. For instance, traffickers might target youth by leveraging the isolation and marginalization that specific vulnerable groups experience. It is for this reason that unpacking and exploring concepts such as sexism, racism, colonization, rape culture, consent, media representation, healthy relationships, and traditional gender roles is key in preventing sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.

In addition, discussing child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking prevention can be directly connected with conversations on broader ways marginalized people experience systemic injustice. For instance, the over-incarceration of Black and Indigenous men because of systemic racism and their perceived hypermasculinity;  the gendered wage gap (and the way it further affects women of colour); the stigmatization of neuro-diverse individuals or those experiencing different mental health conditions; or the ongoing violence in the intersection of colonialism and sexism as witnessed across the national cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women. For this reason, addressing Rape Culture, Child Sexual Exploitation in the Media, and Consent through an intersectional lens is central to these resource’s lesson plans. 

Distinguish between an abusive and healthy relationships: Many youth victims of human trafficking perceive their trafficker to be a good friend or dating partner. Ensuring students understand the qualities of an abusive and exploitative relationship or toxic friendship may assist them in identifying and rejecting the grooming stage of a trafficking scenario.

Understanding abusive and exploitative relationships can also encourage students to set and uphold their boundaries in their friendships and relationships, identify a trusted friend, relative or adult in their lives and seek support when needed. It’s important to note that the existence of violence in 2SLGBTQ+ relationships is often overlooked by educators, yet must also be discussed in order to prevent the targeting and exploitation of youth belonging to this community. Our Healthy Relationships Lesson Plan offers a great template to discuss the difference between Healthy and Unhealthy relationships in an inclusive and diverse manner.  

Critically examine masculine culture and promote non-violence: Central to the prevention of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking is the need to provide opportunity and space for young men to safely and openly discuss how rigid expectations of masculinity shape their values and beliefs. 

Beyond the engagement of male youth in these conversations, it is also necessary to discuss and co-create attitudinal and behavioural alternatives to develop a non-violent culture within which male youth can play supportive and leadership roles. Our Creating Healthier Masculinities Lesson Plan provides educators with a great starting point to have this conversation from a strength-based approach.

Encouraging action: As educators, help youth identify unhealthy behaviours and attitudes related to gender expectations or relationships and be prepared to act if a youth is seeking support. 

It is also key to strengthen their capacity to intervene as bystanders when witnessing them. Exploring various safe ways of intervening in situations of violence of any kind can create a sense of duty and awareness in youth. Our Bystander Intervention Lesson Plan unpacks the different types of bystander intervention and provides students with scenarios to practice this skill.

Discuss online safety: The internet has become widely used by traffickers to target, groom and exploit youth. Because of this, online safety skills are very important to keep youth safe. 

During a time in which social media platforms are widely used to share information, seek approval, build communities, and achieve status, it is very important to remind youth that traffickers constantly use personal information and images shared through social media to target and threaten individuals.

Digital citizenship and encouraging youth to consider safety before posting can make youth significantly less vulnerable to traffickers. Youth should also be encouraged to flag sexually exploitative posts or images of children and youth that they may come across on social media platforms. Our Online Safety Lesson Plan can be used to guide a conversation on safety when using the internet and social media platforms.

Youth-led conversations, activities and initiatives: Participation and engagement are key to making any prevention activity successful. Make sure youth feel comfortable and safe when discussing any of the topics included in the lesson plans.

Recommendations for Educators: 

Preparing: You do not have to be a specialist in child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking prevention to deliver these lesson plans. As a facilitator your main role will be to encourage participatory reflection and learning. This website will provide you with key knowledge on child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking prevention and resources to explore the topic in various ways prior to implementation. The resources section is also full of different documents, podcasts, videos to support your own learning and become comfortable with the topic.

Don’t work in isolation: Child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking prevention concern us all. Speak to your school’s principal, vice-principal, social workers, mental health specialist, fellow educators, and other supporting staff about your interest in implementing these lesson plans and develop a safety net. Brainstorm together: How can you work to ensure safety and support in the short and long term to students and survivors as you implement these lesson plans?

Create a class agreement:  In order to ensure a safe environment when using the lesson plans, create a class agreement with students to encourage appropriate behaviour and respect towards women and girls, diversity, survivors and the lived experiences of others. The agreement should also address confidentiality and keep students from making disrespectful comments or inappropriate jokes. 

Warn students about triggering content: Make sure students know about the topics that will be discussed during each session, especially if they refer to gender-based violence, abuse, child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Students should be offered the possibility of leaving the classroom if they find the discussions to be triggering and  school and local mental health and survivor resources should be made available.

Be ready for disclosures: Implementing these workshops will help students identify situations of child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Because of this, disclosures are likely to happen. Be sure to know what your duties and responsibilities are once there is a disclosure and be mindful of avoiding re-victimization. In addition, offer students resources for anonymous disclosures available in your area such as support phone lines, including the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010), or websites, including ontario.ca/humantrafficking.

Using a strength-based approach: Using fear, shame or a prohibitive attitude are less likely to be effective in the prevention of any type of gender-based violence including sexual exploitation. Create a safe space where students feel free to ask questions without fear of stigmatization or criticism while appealing to their wish of becoming better individuals and part of the solution to gender-based violence and child sexual exploitation.

Promote inclusion and allyship: Some individuals are more vulnerable than others to child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Make sure that this fact doesn’t lead to the stereotyping or stigmatization of specific groups but rather use the opportunity to discuss how to become better allies to community members who do not share the same identities or lived experiences and are systematically disenfranchised.

Sometimes it might be hard, but you are changing lives: Having conversations that challenge gender norms, encourage new attitudes and prevent child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking can be challenging. However, remember that simple conversations can go a long way and the impact of your work can possibly save your students’ lives.

Practice self-care: Remember to prioritize your wellbeing and self-care. Certain topics can be emotionally and physically exhausting and it’s important to constantly check in with ourselves and our colleagues. Positively impacting our students’ lives can be a very meaningful and rewarding experience as long as we consider our own physical and mental health.

(9)  White Ribbon Canada (2014). Youth Engagement in Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking: An exploration of promising practices. White Ribbon Canada, Toronto. April 2014