Clear my tracks

Clear my tracks

Its not a game

It’s not a game is the story of Kamila, Jessica, Kishi, and countless other girls. These stories are inspired by the lives of the girls and young women from across the province who used the services of their local CALACS (Centre d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel).

Kamila, 16 years old

When I was 16, my parents wanted me to focus on school. They didn’t want me to work or to go out much on weekdays. Friends of mine had the money to buy themselves nice things while I was stuck home studying. A girl from school told me that with a body like mine I could make a lot of money. She gave me pointers and I listened to her advice. I did what she did. I created an account and started taking selfies. When the money started coming in, I couldn’t believe it. In just three weeks, I had become a star! I started filming myself too. I gained thousands of followers! I had never gotten this much attention before! I thought of all the stuff I could buy! 

I never thought this was sexual exploitation…

Jessica, 14 years old

I was 14. I met him at a school friend’s party. 

He was attractive and nice and thought I was hot. No one had called me that before. He texted me every day. I became his girlfriend. He had money problems. He said we could get an apartment together if I helped him out. I said yes. He took me to a hotel. Another guy was there. My boyfriend stayed. It felt weird, but I trusted him. At that point, I hadn’t slept with anyone other than him. Then, he gave me drugs; I took some every night. He’d find the clients and we’d make the money to pay off his debts and make rent. It was perfect. My friends worried, but my parents didn’t have a clue. 

Without even noticing, I’d become addicted to drugs and to him.

Kishi, 12 years old

I was 12 when it started. At first, he’d only put his hand on my butt or down my shirt. I’d tell him to stop but he wouldn’t listen. One night, he raped me. He did that repeatedly. It took me two years to tell my mom. She didn’t believe me. Instead, she yelled at me. But that’s OK, I’m used to her screaming.  Then, she threw me out. I ended up in the city, far from everything and everyone. One night, a car pulled up. A man asked me how much I charged. I told him, “Not much.” He opened the door. He handed me $20. He came back the next day and asked for more. Fortunately, since I was 12, I had gotten pretty good at ignoring my own body and dissociating. It was cold and I had nothing. I said, OK. 

Kamila, Jessica and Kishi became Alessa, Alex and Kyla. Without even realizing it, they had stepped into the labyrinth of sexual exploitation. Find out what happened to them by clicking here.

What would you do if you were Kamila?

What would you do if you were Jessica?

What would you do if you were Kishi?

Definitions

A sexual assault is an act of violence, domination, humiliation, or abuse of power committed mostly by men against women and children. To sexually abuse is to impose sexual behaviour, words, and/or conducts on someone without their explicit consent through bullying, threats, blackmail, or verbal/physical/psychological violence. Unwanted contacts, exhibitionism, voyeurism, sexual harassment, rape, gang rape, incest, sex trafficking, sexual assault by a romantic partner, sexual coercion, obscene phone calls, forcing someone to watch porn, sexual assault through intoxication, sexual cyberviolence (cyber sexual assault, sextortion, cyberexploitation, distributing intimate videos, images or recordings without prior consent) are all types of sexual assault.

Consent is a voluntary, enthusiastic, and clear agreement between the participants to engage in sexual activity. Each partner is the only person able to determine what their desires and needs are. Consent is saying yes to a specific sexual activity in the context of a mutual participation agreement required for each sexual activity. 

Sexual exploitation is when one or several individuals profit sexually, financially, or professionally from someone else’s sexuality. Stripping, erotic massages, escort work (with an agency or as a freelancer), pornography, the different types of prostitution (streetwalking, income supplement, online), and transactional sex (exchanging sex for goods or services such as a roof, drugs, food, lifts) are all examples of sexual exploitation.

The campaign It’s not a game was produced by

Content production, design, artistic direction, coordination Funambules Médias
Web design and development bête féroce

This initiative is supported by Women and Gender Equality Quebec

Quebec Government Logo

© CALACS La Chrysalide, CALACS DES RIVIÈRES, CALACS Agression Estrie, CALACS du Saguenay,
CALACS Étoile du Nord, CALACS Coup de Coeur, CALAS de l’Outaouais /