Exploitation is when you are being taken advantage of so that someone else can benefit. It is when you are pressurised, forced or tricked into doing something that you do not want to do.
This may be by making you do something against the law, like stealing or hiding stolen things. It may be by making you have sexual relationships with people that you don’t know, or making you take sexy pictures and then using them to threaten you
Sometimes it is really clear that you are being abused. Sometimes it is more difficult to know or realise because some older friends will trick you into thinking that what is happening is nice, fun, good for you, or that you owe someone so you feel you need to do what they ask. This is still abuse.
Exploitation includes being made to:
- steal, carry or sell drugs
- work for someone unfairly without being paid
- have a sexual relationship with people you don’t know
- film or stream sexual activity
- being made to do things as part of a gang