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Children as a saleable commodity
EDITORIAL
THE LANCET Volume 358, Number 9299
Children as a saleable commodity At this time of year many children are looking forward to glittery lights, presents, and cosy family gatherings. Many others are not that fortunate. In a new report, Profiting from abuse—an investigation into the sexual exploitation of our children, released last week, the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that millions of children are sexually exploited for commercial purposes worldwide. About 1 million children enter the sex trade every year. Due to the secrecy around the international sex industry, however, there are no adequately documented figures beyond these broad estimates. Whatever the numbers, there are few more shocking violations of children’s rights than sexual abuse and exploitation, often at the hand of familiar trusted adults in authority. When a well-dressed, kindly speaking woman approached a 15-year-old girl in a small village in Cambodia and promised her a good job in town, the girl was flattered and eager to please her parents by supporting them with some money. Little did she know that her place of work would be a brothel in Phnom Penh. Michael, an 11-year-old Roma from Albania, has been begging on Thessaloniki’s street since he was five. His arm is marked by cigarette burns. Organised child traffickers use children as young as four as beggars and older girls as prostitutes. These are only two of several stories given as examples by UNICEF. The report is released in conjunction with the 2nd World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Yokohama, Japan, this week. One aim of the congress is to take stock of progress made since the first such event in Stockholm 5 years ago. Although education and raising of awareness has brought sexual exploitation of children out of the shadows to some extent, national legislation remains inadequate or non-existent. And even where appropriate laws do exist, they are not high on the agenda of law enforcers. Penalties for human trafficking are often less severe than those for arms and drug trafficking. And the forces that perpetuate sexual abuse and exploitation, such as organised crime, war and political instability, internal displacement, and poverty, have gained increased importance since the Stockholm conference. The spread of HIV/AIDS has added a new THE LANCET • Vol 358 • December 22/29, 2001
dimension. Ignorance about transmission, belief in a diminshed risk of becoming infected, and myths about curative powers of virginity have fuelled the demand for very young girls, especially in parts of Asia and Africa. Additionally, many children whose parents have died of AIDS have to fend for themselves and are particularly vulnerable to abuse. The consequences of sexual exploitation for those children who survive are manifold and difficult to fully comprehend. Some children try to numb their experiences with, or are forced into, substance abuse. Many experience physical violence, endure early unwanted pregnancies, or have sexually transmitted diseases. All will be affected by low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and deep mistrust. Some promising progress has been made at community level. For example, in rural Cambodia, 52 villages have set up a community-based childprotection network. The network educates the community about trafficking and other potential dangers to children, detects children at risk, and intervenes when necessary. On an international level, children have a right to be protected from prostitution under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Additionally, in May, 2000, the UN Assembly adopted an optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography to strengthen legislation, which has so far been signed by 87 nations, ratified by 13, and will become legally binding for those on Jan 18, 2002. However, aside from not yet being ratified by many countries (Norway being the only notable exception among large western countries), some of the most critical wordings in the document are not as strong as they should be. For example, it calls on each state “to consider adopting legislative or other appropriate measures that permit victims of trafficking in persons to remain in its territory, temporarily or permanently, in appropriate cases.” Perhaps there is yet a chance between the Yokohama congress and the forthcoming UN special session on children, which was postponed after the events of Sept 11, to agree on a strong declaration and an uncompromising plan to combat these despicable practices. The Lancet 2095
For personal use. Only reproduce with permission from The Lancet Publishing Group.
THE LANCET Volume 358, Number 9299
Children as a saleable commodity At this time of year many children are looking forward to glittery lights, presents, and cosy family gatherings. Many others are not that fortunate. In a new report, Profiting from abuse—an investigation into the sexual exploitation of our children, released last week, the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that millions of children are sexually exploited for commercial purposes worldwide. About 1 million children enter the sex trade every year. Due to the secrecy around the international sex industry, however, there are no adequately documented figures beyond these broad estimates. Whatever the numbers, there are few more shocking violations of children’s rights than sexual abuse and exploitation, often at the hand of familiar trusted adults in authority. When a well-dressed, kindly speaking woman approached a 15-year-old girl in a small village in Cambodia and promised her a good job in town, the girl was flattered and eager to please her parents by supporting them with some money. Little did she know that her place of work would be a brothel in Phnom Penh. Michael, an 11-year-old Roma from Albania, has been begging on Thessaloniki’s street since he was five. His arm is marked by cigarette burns. Organised child traffickers use children as young as four as beggars and older girls as prostitutes. These are only two of several stories given as examples by UNICEF. The report is released in conjunction with the 2nd World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Yokohama, Japan, this week. One aim of the congress is to take stock of progress made since the first such event in Stockholm 5 years ago. Although education and raising of awareness has brought sexual exploitation of children out of the shadows to some extent, national legislation remains inadequate or non-existent. And even where appropriate laws do exist, they are not high on the agenda of law enforcers. Penalties for human trafficking are often less severe than those for arms and drug trafficking. And the forces that perpetuate sexual abuse and exploitation, such as organised crime, war and political instability, internal displacement, and poverty, have gained increased importance since the Stockholm conference. The spread of HIV/AIDS has added a new THE LANCET • Vol 358 • December 22/29, 2001
dimension. Ignorance about transmission, belief in a diminshed risk of becoming infected, and myths about curative powers of virginity have fuelled the demand for very young girls, especially in parts of Asia and Africa. Additionally, many children whose parents have died of AIDS have to fend for themselves and are particularly vulnerable to abuse. The consequences of sexual exploitation for those children who survive are manifold and difficult to fully comprehend. Some children try to numb their experiences with, or are forced into, substance abuse. Many experience physical violence, endure early unwanted pregnancies, or have sexually transmitted diseases. All will be affected by low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and deep mistrust. Some promising progress has been made at community level. For example, in rural Cambodia, 52 villages have set up a community-based childprotection network. The network educates the community about trafficking and other potential dangers to children, detects children at risk, and intervenes when necessary. On an international level, children have a right to be protected from prostitution under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Additionally, in May, 2000, the UN Assembly adopted an optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography to strengthen legislation, which has so far been signed by 87 nations, ratified by 13, and will become legally binding for those on Jan 18, 2002. However, aside from not yet being ratified by many countries (Norway being the only notable exception among large western countries), some of the most critical wordings in the document are not as strong as they should be. For example, it calls on each state “to consider adopting legislative or other appropriate measures that permit victims of trafficking in persons to remain in its territory, temporarily or permanently, in appropriate cases.” Perhaps there is yet a chance between the Yokohama congress and the forthcoming UN special session on children, which was postponed after the events of Sept 11, to agree on a strong declaration and an uncompromising plan to combat these despicable practices. The Lancet 2095
For personal use. Only reproduce with permission from The Lancet Publishing Group.