THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Double Standards

      *I don’t make it a habit of recommending movies for entertainment purposes because most of them are a waste of time and money. But the movie Taken is the latest depiction of child abuse that targets teenage girls for sex. And this month my goal is to shed light on this issue to make others more aware of the problem.

      In the movie, a young girl is kidnapped while on vacation in Paris and sold into a sex slave ring. And during her father’s search for her and her abductors, details about the problem of human trafficking in Europe are exposed.

      Human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry in the world behind identity theft. Although most victims –usually female – are forced into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, others voluntarily become involved to pay for favors such as illegal immigration.

      Nobody wants their relative or friend to be violated and they might do anything within their control to prevent it. But society’s over indulgence with all things sexual has put our children at risk and turned some of us into hypocrites.  

      To be clear, I am against the abuse of anyone at anytime, especially the abuse of children of any age.  And most people would agree with that philosophy. But when it comes to sexual exploitation, there’s a thin line between what is and is not acceptable. And our children are getting caught in the middle. 

      If a person is 18-years-old and one day, is it acceptable for that person to be viewed as a sex symbol and engage in all things sexual without consequence to the parties involved?

      Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how old is the stripper at the club or the centerfold in the magazine? To the customer she’s just a source of entertainment. But just because she’s (hopefully) over 18 doesn’t make it right for her to be exploited. Even if it’s voluntary.

      If a 41-year-old man marries a 23-year-old woman (Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee) does that make it okay because there’s no law against it? 

      A 17-year-old boy was convicted of having oral sex with a consenting 15-year-old girl in Georgia and spent two years in prison for it? Obviously there was a law against what they did, but does that make him a criminal? How many other 17-year-olds would be considered criminals if held to the letter of that law?

      It’s a widely accepted concept that sex sells, even if the product being sold is a child. So the next time you look at a centerfold or visit a strip club, remember the product on display could be 18-years –old and a day. In other words, that’s somebody’s child. So treat them as if they were your child.

Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex. See the video version of her column at youtube.com/steffanierivers. To schedule speaking engagements or to send questions or comments email her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com