The American Red Cross

13 September 2010

The alternative isn't worth the pain, or is it...

For men, if we ever hit on hard times and needed to use our last resource to make something happen we would.

To eat. To find shelter. To protect our family. It doesn't matter really. It's all the same to us. What matters is the alternative.

For women that alternative is sometimes a choice that's made early on. And for a number of reasons.

For women, sometimes to provide shelter. To provide reasonable protection for your single parent family. To watch your kids eat before they go to bed. These are all the same to her too. But the alternative is unfortunately what makes these things come to pass.

The alternative is selling her body to provide for your family. The alternative is dangerous and something no one ever gets used to. The alternative is a result of a let down. [Whether it be the system, a broken family unit or a dumb choice from a lack of guidance.] Just know that it's the sort of let down that men will hardly ever choose to face. Simply because it's not our wiring. Before we choose to give our body for food, we'll think of something else, or go hungry.

The next time you notice a single mother in a peculiar situation - she may be in her teens, in your school, your office or on the street corner - imagine the moment she faced the alternative. The moment she chose it to stay alive and keep her family on the roller coaster one more day. The alternative is something... is something I pray I never have to face.

To learn more about ways to educate your community against sexual exploitation visit caase.org.