Last week, the Gleaner ran another instalment of the series in their Youthlink section that asks teens to consider ethical dilemmas. Youth Opportunities Unlimited has partnered with them for this, and it ran last Tuesday, but I did not get around to posting it until today. This scenario involves a girl who meets an older man while walking through a bus terminal. She is short of bus fare, and he offers to pay. He is 35 and she is 14. They end up in a relationship, with this older man paying for a lot of the things she needs.

According to interviews I have done with people in inner-city communities, this is quite common, to the point that these young girls (age 13, 14, 15) will end up living with these men. No family members or friends dare to comment lest they upset the individual and ultimately cut off the financial source. The respondents in the article are not given titles, but I solicited answers from a 19-year-old woman, a high school guidance counsellor and a man who works for a government poverty reduction program.

Here is the link, check it out.