Sexualisation and sexual objectification of men and women is so damaging to mental health that I beleive this social process is responsible for more deaths than the experience of poverty.

The next time you see a 10-year old face used to promote anti-ageing products make a mental note not to support that corporation.
The trouble is that there are so many doing it and getting away with it. We all sit and browse through the tabloids at the doctor's office but how many of us physically boycott the product.
We need to send a clear message to advertisers and their agencies and that is Stop insulting our collective intelligence.
Reverse the psychology, if they need a little kid to promote their product it can't be worth much.

Thanks Emma. How has it come to this? Whatever corporations, business leaders and advertising agencies what to do, they just do it. No argument from the Howard government because all that matters is trade, greed, competition, profit... I'm a psychtherapist and I can confirm that the sexualisation of children (especially girls) is having very negative effects on children. Let them be children and let them enjoy their childhood dressing up games - without having their innocent play exploited for profit.

bettymc

One of the biggest issues with the sexualisation of children is the amount of sex our children are exposed to in the media and on television. Everything seems to focus on sex or violence. Sexualising of young children in marketing supports this as does the amount of toys that promote violence.

Young children today have been so desensitised to sex that they do not know what is right or wrong any more. They have been groomed to focus on sex from a very young age. The do not understand that sex is a private matter between consenting adults. Sex is seen as entertainment and it shouldn't be shown to the children in this way at such a young age as our children learn by example and what they see they copy.

Our children are not being given the opportunity to develop intellectually, emotionally or psychologically before they are pushed towards sex. This also puts our children in a very vulnerable position with regard to being abused as they don’t realize and understand that what is being done to them is wrong. No wonder so many young people are unhappy and confused.

WORLD CHILD SEX and SLAVE CAPITAL TRADE SALES are worth more than the TRILLION sales made by Microsoft (apparently).

Children from Asia and European countries throughout the world are calling on their governments to take a far tougher stand against human-trafficking, including much stiffer penalties for those who enslave and abuse young people.

In terms of discrimination - gender abuse and general civic wellbeing.. female chidren are hardest hit. According to China's Ministry of Health (2004), at least 250,000 people commit suicide a year in China.

That's a rate of around 20-30 per 10,000, compared with a worldwide average of 14.

Recorded, women in China have the highest suicide rate, with most coming from poor families. At least 2 million women attempt suicide, which has become the biggest cause of death for those between 15 and 35 years of age.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/social/2004/10/12/china_mentalhealth/

In Burma alone "thousands of young girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in the sex industry in neighboring Thailand. They are held for years in debt bondage in illegal Thai brothels, they suffer extreme abuse by pimps, clients, and the police."

See Film: SACRIFICE - http://www.brunofilms.com/sacrifice.html

Australia we must wake up to ourselves and stop our navel grazing.

Make the CONNECTION: FOOD - OIL - SEX - POWER CARTELS

NAME THEM ALL - this is the truth behind our economic problems.

We MUST combate human trafficing through our individual "self governance, and through using our pro-active knowledge.

http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/656

In terms of Australia, we have come a long way but we are no where near the mark. Bullying, Womens Wages, Media + Sports... CHILD ABUSE is a NATIONAL + GLOBAL issue.

We need equity and we need respect.

WE NEED TO GET UP AND PUT A STOP TO THIS!

http://www.miacat.com/
.

We could probably start by not giving a State funeral to a man who was charged with numerous child sex offences. It seems incredible that our left wing media can dispose of a former Governor General (of whom I am no fan) for his failure to deal with others in sexual abuse while being silent about the recently deceased Labour member receiving a State funeral. Mr Howard should step in or be ashamed.