Girls told their stories of sexual abuse

Lauren Chopek

As Lauren Chopek tells her story, she does as if remaining silent would have been better.

"I used to blame myself for everything. But, I would say I let them do that to me. I am dirty. It's my fault," says Chopek through tears.

But Chopek is finally speaking out, determined to shake the guilt and shame that she knows should stalk her perpetrators instead of her. see more pics below

Lauren who is now 19 years was just 14 year old when she was sexually exploited and trafficked for sex in her hometown of Winnipeg. But as an indigenous girl in Canada, her story is hardly rare.

Canada's indigenous population is very small, just 4% of the population -- yet more than 50% of all sex trafficking victims in Canada are indigenous. The reasons are complicated and varied but are ultimately rooted in a legacy of poverty, racism and abuse.

"I was actually making these bad choices for a reason," explains Chopek. "You know when you experience sexual abuse it's really confusing. You never know if it's your fault or is it theirs." 

Diane Redsky

Diane Redsky runs Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, runs the rural healing lodge where Chopek stayed, as well as safe houses, rehabilitation and prevention programs throughout Manitoba.

Redsky says the history of racism against indigenous which advocates for indigenous women and children, specifically sex trafficking victims. Her organization Canadians feeds into the cycle of violence and exploitation against them. A whole society is targeting indigenous women and girls ...

Diane Redsky, indigenous rights advocate said: "It's really difficult to be able to fight those stereotypes as indigenous women when a whole society is targeting indigenous women and girls, particularly for violence and abuse -- and that spills over into sex trafficking," says Redsky.

Another story was told of Tanay Little's,  how insidious the abuse can be. Tanay Little was  11 years old when she was sexually exploited on the streets surrounding her family's home in Winnipeg. An older girl, someone who pretended to be her friend she says, was actually preying on her, first luring her with drugs and then trafficking her for sex.

"I remember one time that she put me in a room and then two guys, one, not together, but one would come in and then I would have sex with him and then the other the other guy would come in. And then I'd get high after that," says Little.

She is blunt about what would happen if she refused to have sex with anybody.

"If you're not beat up, then you would get raped by a few of them at once," explains Little.

Credi: CNN

my opinion

mothers should start monitoring their children especially women at very tender ages.