Double~take | ask first

No one asks the trafficked

T

he long summer is finally over… awww. This week meant the start of a new year for many people - new classes, new schools and new things to learn…

“Dad! Tomorrow we try out for the badminton team!”
“Mom! Next week we’re learning about dinosaurs!”
“Oh. My. Gosh. I went to French today, and I am sitting across from THE cutest guy in the school.”

But the award for most random thing to learn at your first day at school goes to… Drew, who learned at his first day of orientation at university that… you need to “Ask First!” Apparently the entire day, whilst rehearsing a myriad of songs/cheers with horrendously sexual undertones, new students were confronted with the message that, no matter what they’re wearing; no matter if you’ve done it with them before - it is still a requirement that you “Ask First!”

Posters on urinals, badges, buttons and free condoms thrown in abundance on pretty much every student who walked through the gates might (just might) leave a lasting impression on a new class of shiny new students, and I have to congratulate the organizers. Blunt, straightforward and straight to the point without any beating around the bush, they realised that in our sex-crazed society nothing short of flooding the campus with signage and megaphones would warrant even the slightest attention.

But out of the spotlight of excitement that the first week of anything brings, “Ask First” becomes less of a lame slogan to snigger over at the urinals. September 26-28 is The Salvation Army’s international weekend of prayer and fasting for victims of sexual trafficking, and people around the world will be giving this devastating issue the attention it needs. For youth bombarded by sexual messages every hour - TV, billboards, music - I sincerely hope that free condoms and an “Ask First” pin is not all the education and discussion they get. The church will need to provide an alternative to MTV, or healthy relationships and respect will prove even more elusive, and our reluctance will only fuel the issues we were meant to fight.

So here’s our chance. Don’t be shy. Everyone else will be doing it…

Double~take appears every Saturday on theRubicon. Find past Double~take posts and a bio of Stephanie Hung here.

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