Digg it
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Technorati
Price of education can be high for some students
Anastasia Kirk, The Runner
By Anastasia Kirk
The Runner
VANCOUVER (CUP) – Kate is 21 years old. She’s a second-year Vancouver Community College student, and she’s part of a growing trend.
Kate (names have been changed to protect privacy) recently posted an ad on Craigslist searching for another female to team up with her as a “partner in crime,” as she put it. She wrote that she was looking for another girl to participate in sexual acts with her, and potentially a multitude of other men, in hopes of making some quick and easy cash to help pay for some of life’s necessities. Her thinking was that two women would be safer and perhaps more profitable than one.
Unconventional defrayment
A self-sufficient student who attends full-time classes while juggling a part-time job, Kate is but another victim of the vicious economic downturn. She’s felt forced to look beyond conventional means of earning an income to find an alternative, so-be-it illegal, way to earn a decent living.
“The economic position of the world has made it hard for me and my boyfriend to make enough money to pay for the basic necessities of life, and pursue future career goals,” said Kate. “I am a very smart, intelligent person. I received honours and top-of-the-class (recognition) in many of my subjects, but times are tough, and this will allow me to make a lot of money without sacrificing a lot of precious time.”
Kate said this is the first time she’s ever done something like this. She’s never solicited her body for any reason and admits, even given the circumstances, it is a difficult decision. While she has yet to act on her ambitions, she said there is a 70 per cent chance she will follow through.
Kate is not alone. Currently there are dozens of women posting similar ads on Craigslist and other free ad sites in Vancouver alone. After describing their smile, body type and breast size, most girls express their willingness to perform a rainbow of sexual acts in return for cash. Kate said it’s out of pure need that she has ultimately turned to prostitution.
A story published by the London Times in 2006 stated that prostitution among female students went up 50 per cent from 2000 to 2006. One in ten students in the U.K. said they knew of someone who participated in the sex trade industry to support themselves. The group that conducted the research said the results were in accordance with what they expected given the growing financial difficulties students are facing.
Dime bags
Selling your body is not the only alternative. Young people are willing to risk a criminal record for other offences in order to put money in their pockets.
Blair (name changed) has been selling weed in the Vancouver area for three years. Even before the economy began its decline, the 22-year-old found it difficult to live on his own and pay for basic needs on his regular paycheque. Blair, who works full-time at a model restoration company, said the money he makes selling marijuana is enough to pay for his basic living costs with some to spare for extras. He said his average $1,500-a-month paycheck helps, but is not enough to support him on his own.
“Rent alone is $840 a month,” said Blair. “And then I’ve got groceries, Muay Thai (boxing classes), gas, insurance . . . My transmission blew up twice last year and that cost me $5,000, but I need a car for work.”
Blair said he enjoys dealing drugs on the side but admits he’s not proud of it.
“If you can do it, it’s too easy and it’s good cash,” said Blair, who pointed out the similarities between selling weed and other illegal quick-cash schemes. “My house was broken into last month and I was robbed for everything. I was pissed, but then in the end I’m no better than the people who did that shit. It’s bad, man. But you do what you’ve got to do. That’s just life sometimes.”
When asked if he had ever contemplated asking his family for money when he falls on hard times, he said he’d never consider asking anybody for a dime. “It’s just not in my nature. What’s the point of living on your own then? I don’t want to go home. That’s a step back for me.