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9 |Thursday June 8, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Best defence is good self-esteem continued from p.5 Potential victims are recruited by force, blackmail, by being befriended or seduction, said Martin. The lead facilitator for the society' s Empowerment Against Exploitation program said the best prevention is to give young people a high level of awareness of exploitation methods and confidence in their own self-worth. The society runs two programs, one geared towards empowering girls and another, just three months old, to educate boys -- in ways that aren' t traumatic for participants. She also noted grooming of potential victims isn' t only done by men, but women, too. "We want people to know victims can also be approached by girls (typically, already victims themselves)," added Martin. Jennifer Potter, co-founder of Oakville' s anti human trafficking group 4:One, discussed indicators of grooming and how to prevent it. Grooming is the predatory act of manoeuvring another person into a position that makes them more isolated, dependent and likely to trust and be more vulnerable to abusive behaviour. "People are shocked it is happening here...," Potter said, "But there are vulnerable people anywhere, someone who has gone through sexual abuse, for example. Predators go after girls at the mall, group homes and online." She outlined the stages of grooming -- a predator identifies a victim, collects information on them, fills a need, slowly isolates them and initializes abuse. "It' s a form of brainwashing, in that, this is their `boyfriend' and by the end of it, they' re just making their `boyfriends' happy," said Potter. "By appearing sympathetic or charming (called a Romeo Pimp) when a person has a problem to d isc u ss. what he' s doing is breaking down her defences and increasing the young person' s dependence on them. Some signs of grooming could include: having an older boyfriend or girlfriend; being secretive, including online activity; sudden changes in behaviour; becoming more withdrawn; changes in sleep and eating patterns; sudden changes in dress style; skipping or missing school or curfew; unexplained absences; inconsistencies in stories; new material possessions; a significant other with money or a job; unknown numbers on phone bills; credit card charges; inappropriate photos on social media; being tied to their phone; and increased drug or alcohol use. "This is not an exhaustive list. but we just want parents to know this may not just be signs of the child `being a teenager'," explained Potter. "Find out who are they meeting online, how long are they spending time with them, talk, talk and talk to your kids about what they're putting on their social media." Potter noted one of the most important things parents can do to help defend their children is to value them and compliment them on their character and skills, not just their physical looks. "Help build their self-esteem . reduce their chances of falling for a predator' s tactics," she added. FLYER PRICES EFFECTIVE IN ONTARIO STORES ONLY. THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017 TO WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017. (excluding: Geraldton, Kenora &Thunder BayOntario) C o la n g e lo 'sN o F rills O le g 'sN o F rills 1 2 5C ro s s 1 3 9 5A b b e y w o o d A v e n u e D riv e O A K viLLE S W I M M I N G P O O L ABOVE GROUND POOLS* &3 ra i 3 3 j | iNSTAr Vinyl and Fiberglass Available v .... . ' 15' R O U N D $2999 I 18' R O U N D$3599 12' X 20' O V A L$4399 MANY MORE SIZES AVAILABLE P O O L L IN E R S * FLOOR MODEL CLEARANCE HOT TUBS* 12' X 2 4 ' $999 1 4 'X 2 8 ' $ 1 1 9 9 1 8 'X 3 6 ' $ 1 599 1 6 'X 3 2 ' $ 1 3 9 9 20' x 40' $ 1 799 OTHER SIZES AVAILABLE AT SIMILAR SAVINGS. F R O M$4999 LEISUREINDUSTRIES 504 IROQUOIS SH O R E ROAD, UNIT #1, O A K V ILLE, ON L6H 3K4 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -7 9 7 9 · 9 0 5 -8 15 -5 2 5 2 · w w w .le is u re in d u s trie s .c a *Restrictions apply check in-store for details, not applicable on prior sales. Products may not be exactly as shown. **Installation Available