SOLOS In the Media

2012-08-14
CTV Interview with Merlyn Horton re Internet Luring
CTV News
CTV News At Six interview by Julia Foy with Merlyn Horton, discussing recent news of internet luring and how to advise children not to accept friend requests from people unknown to them.
» Read the full press article

2012-08-14
CBC News Interview with Merlyn Horton re Internet Luring
CBC News
A brief clip of Merlyn Horton on CBC News Late Night re Internet Luring.
» Read the full press article

2012-04-26
This Week On Dotto Tech
Dotto Tech
Merlyn Horton, Executive Director of The Safe Online Outreach Society with some plain talk about our kids and the dangers the online world represents.,with a few cautionary words for adults as well.
» Read the full press article

2010-12-01
CBC-The National - TV
CBC - The National
B.C. teen posting ad under erotic services on Craigslist. Charged with prostitution and online luring. Merlyn Horton comments.
» Read the full press article

2010-11-26
Online targets: Parenting in the cyber-age means getting up to speed
Chilliwack Times
With this month's arrest of a 14-year-old Chilliwack girl accused of selling sex on Craigslist and recruiting other under-aged girls to do the same, it's seems like perfect timing for Mt. Slesse middle school to host a presentation on parenting in a Internet age. But parents panicked about their teens being lured into sex acts by online predators or pimps may be misdirecting their concern, according to Merlyn Horton, executive director of the Safe Online Outreach Society (SOLOS).
» Read the full press article

2009-08-24
Kamloops man accused of soliciting sex with a toddler
CTV - British Columbia
Comments by SOLOS ED Merlyn Horton A 33-year-old man in Kamloops, B.C., has been arrested for allegedly trying to solicit sex with a pre-school aged child, RCMP said Monday. Just before 8:00 p.m. Saturday, officers received a report of a man trying to buy sex with a young girl. The call came from an undisclosed acquaintance who says he received a text message offering a finder's fee if he could accommodate the request
» Read the full press article

2009-06-30
CTV BC - Teen sex for sale online is mother's nightmare
CTV - British Columbia
SOLOS ED Merlyn Horton comments on internet luring and sexual exploitation. "A Lower Mainland mother is coming forward after hearing about a story that CTV News broadcast on Monday. Police are concerned that a growing number of teenagers are selling sex on the popular Craigslist, causing nightmares for the mother of one of those teens."
» Read the full press article

2009-04-28
Mother urges online caution
Chilliwack Progress
By Katie Robinson - Chilliwack Progress Published: April 28, 2009 9:00 AM Online child sexual exploitation is a serious problem that not only affects kids living in big cities, but also kids living in smaller cities too, even kids in Chilliwack.
» Read the full press article

2009-03-24
Parents get up to speed about kids' online safety
The Daily News (Nanaimo)
"We do Internet safety presentations for parents, and they are the most poorly attended presentations of all," said Merlyn Horton, executive director of Safe OnLine Outreach Society. "Parents don't seem aware of how much they need to learn or how involved they need to be in young people's lives because they don't usually show up for presentations."
» Read the full press article

2009-03-14
Dealing With Online Risks to First Nations Youth
Turtle Island.org
Mission, B. C. The Safe OnLine Outreach Society (SOLOS) today launched an updated website amid growing concern about the online safety of British Columbia youth. Social networking and online classified sites, such as craigslist, should concern parents, says Merlyn Horton, Executive Director of the Safe OnLine Outreach Society. Particularly as more isolated and First Nations communities are being provided with broad band access, she says. Weve recently spoken with several front-line youth workers who are worried about the alarming increase in the number of young people listed under erotic services on craigslist in the Whistler area says Horton. They are saying that its out of control and has been increasing dramatically in the last few months. First Nations youth are disproportionally represented in sexually exploited youth populations. Estimates are that of the sexually exploited youth in BC, 14% and 65% are Aboriginal depending on the community. In some Canadian communities, research has indicated that up to 90% of the street-involved sexually exploited youth are Aboriginal. craigslist is of concern, but so are other social network sites, says Horton, which, once introduced to a community, maybe used for recruitment by gangs, and subsequent sexual exploitation. We are hearing that recruiters are online scoping out youth in isolated communities,says Horton, before they visit and target the most vulnerable youth once they arrive.
» Read the full press article

2009-03-13
SOLOS Website Relaunch

Mission, B. C. The Safe OnLine Outreach Society (SOLOS) today launched an updated website amid growing concern about the online safety of British Columbia youth. 'Social networking and online classified sites, such as craigslist, should concern parents,' says Merlyn Horton, Executive Director of the Safe OnLine Outreach Society. 'Particularly as more isolated and First Nations communities are being provided with broad band access,' she says.
» Read the full press article

2009-03-10
Rotary donation funds Youth-2-Youth program
Mission City Record
A new program launched by the Mission-based Safe Online Outreach Society (SOLOS) will help high school students become experts in Internet education, then teach safety to elementary aged children.
» Read the full press article

2009-03-08
Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week

A local organization is aiming to bring awareness to a very sensitive subject, the sexual exploitation of children and youth. The Community Against Sexual Exploitation of Youth, a grassroots organization started in Kelowna in 1996, has organized the 11th annual Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week running from March 6 until March 14.
» Read the full press article

2009-02-03
Prepping parents for the web
Peace Arch News
Horton said parents need to be as aware of what their children and youth are up to in cyberspace on the Internet, MSN, in Facebook, etc. as they are of their activities in the real world. And they need to ensure their youngsters are savvy enough to stay safe during those virtual journeys.
» Read the full press article

2009-01-04
Online Exploitation, Merlyn Horton
Heartspeak Productions
The Safe Online Outreach Society's purpose is to educate the public about exploitation on the internet by doing research, creating materials and delivering presentations and workshops that will train youth, professionals and parents on how to recognize and respond to online sexual exploitation and assist children and youth affected by this issue.
» Read the full press article

2008-10-10
Horton, other Honoured by Solicitor General
The Abbotsford Times
Mission youth-advocate earns top award Merlyn Horton of Mission received recognition for all her dedicated work with high-risk youth during the 10th annual Solicitor General Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards on Oct. 4.
» Read the full press article

2008-03-04
Online bullies face school scrutiny
Chilliwack Progress
"Who knows somebody who's been bullied online?" asked Merlyn Horton of Safe Online Outreach Society. Approximately 400 Grade 10 students in attendance all shot their hands up into the air.
» Read the full press article

2008-02-27
Safety in cyberspace
Salmon Arm Observer
"Youre sending your 11-year-old child on a trip, alone, to Brazil. Would you say only, 'be home by five and dont talk to strangers?'" Merlyn Horton of Safe OnLine Outreach Society speaks to parents at Shuswap Middle School.
» Read the full press article

2008-01-30
Parents: Find out about online world
Burnaby Now
"Parents need to be involved in their children's online social lives to keep them safe, and an upcoming presentation will help them do that". Merlyn Horton of Safe Online Outreach Society is presenting Growing Up and Parenting in the Cyber-Age on Feb. 26, at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby.
» Read the full press article

2008-01-11
Online expert issues warning for parents

An expert on online sexual exploitation says that youth have to be educated about the potential dangers of social networking sites such as Nexopia.
» Read the full press article

2007-02-15
Education the key to keeping children safe online: Horton
Mission City Record
More education about online exploitation is needed in response to incidences like last weeks news of Austrian authorities uncovering a major child-pornography ring involving over 2,000 suspects from 77 countries, including up to 103 Canadian suspects.
» Read the full press article

 

 

The Safe OnLine Outreach Society is a federal charitable organization (Canada #86021 9641 RR0001) and a registered non-profit society -(British Columbia #S45067.

 
Merlyn Horton interview on CTV, June 29, 2009 (Courtesy CTV.ca). The popular online classified service Craigslist is a clearing house for all kinds of products from tools to tickets. Now, youth workers and police are sounding the alarm about something else that's for sale there—teenagers selling their bodies online.

 

Download Annual Report

 

I attended a computer safety seminar put on by SOLOS and I was amazed at how little I knew. I am a foster parent and concerned for the “on-line” safety of our children. What I learned both terrified and amazed me. I think a seminar like this is absolutely mandatory for anyone who raises, works with, teaches, talks to, or even knows someone who has children. In other words, everyone! The knowledge is very important and is offered up in an easy to understand language. Everyone can benefit and many people were there for the second time. I wish this information were available on disk so I could review it from time to time. I will attend again given the opportunity.

Eddie Schroeder, Chilliwack