What makes someone vulnerable to exploitation?

I was sitting in a small church, taking care of patients in a small Haitian community in the Dominican Republic. I saw this child standing in the doorway, waiting to be seen for a respiratory infection.

I feel like my understanding of vulnerability has evolved over the last 12 years. Certainly being a child makes you more vulnerable to being taken advantage of. But there is so much more to it. Like this kiddo is essentially a refugee seeking a better life in a country that wants to deport him and his family. He is experiencing extreme poverty. Poor access to needed things like healthcare. All these needs are something an abuser could exploit.

- Drew