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12 September 2011
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Mongolia, Cambodia and India Monitoring Reports:
Status of action against commercial sexual exploitation of children
Mongolia
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has undergone
significant political and economic changes. However, the transition to a
market economy, high unemployment, rising prices and the large number of
children living on the streets has led to increases in the vulnerability
of children to commercial sexual exploitation. Child prostitution and
child trafficking is reportedly increasing in a number of cities and
towns throughout the country; little information exists on the presence
of child pornography or child sex tourism. Mongolia is in the second
phase (2008-2011) of its implementation of its National Plan of Action on
Trafficking and Protection of Children and Women from Commercial Sexual
Exploitation although implementation and monitoring mechanisms are
reportedly weak. Major improvements in legislation against CSEC are
needed in Mongolia in order for the legal framework to meet international
standards. Click here to download full report.
Cambodia
Cambodia has achieved very high rates of economic growth in the last 15
years, but this has created inequalities in the country, placing
vulnerable children at greater risk of sexual exploitation. Inadequate
child protection systems, widespread corruption and massive tourism
development are some of the underlying contributing factors. All
manifestations of CSEC are said to be widespread in Cambodia. While most
child sex abusers in Cambodia are local Khmers, a significant population
of foreign child sex exploiters are implicated—including those
specifically targeting boy victims. Priority actions identified for
Cambodia include the urgent approval of the National Plan of Action on
the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation (2010-2013).
The legal framework also needs to be strengthened, as does the provision
of more services for the recovery and reintegration of child victims of
sexual exploitation (including boys). Click here to download full report.
India
With a population of 1.1 billion people, India is home to 19% of the
world’s children. India has emerged as a global power with the fourth
largest economy in the world. However, significant problems with rural
and urban poverty, gender inequalities and caste and ethnic disparities
all result in vulnerable communities being marginalised and large number
of children at risk or victimised through sexual exploitation. The
problem is reported to be escalating due to the non-implementation of
policies and inadequate provisions within the legal framework. The India
CSEC monitoring report calls for better coordination and resourcing of
the various National Plans of Action dealing with child protection
amongst other recommendations. Major revisions of domestic legislation
are needed, and more direct services for child victims are required. Click here to download the full report.
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Upcoming ECPAT and TBS Global Campaign Events at the United
Nations, Geneva:
Please confirm
attendance with Mam and Francois as soon as you can.
Additional information will be circulated shortly.
- ECPAT
& TBS ‘Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People’
Campaign Exhibition at the Palais des Nations: The
exhibition will be installed outside Room 20 throughout the upcoming
18th session of the Human Rights Council (12 – 30 September 2011);
- Special
Campaign Petition Handover Ceremony to the Chair of the Committee on
the Rights of the Child: 28 September [Wednesday], 6:30
– 7:00 pm; Palais Wilson;
- Special
Campaign Petition Handover Ceremony to the UN Human Rights Council: 29
September [Thursday], 1:00 – 2:00 pm; Palais des Nations
ECPAT International organizing workshop at the Internet
Governance Forum Kenya
Between the 27 and 30 September, ECPAT International will be organizing a
workshop at the upcoming Internet Governance Forum to be held in Nairobi,
Kenya. The workshop is titled ‘Protecting children in an increasingly
connected online world’, and will be conducted in partnership with ITU
and UNICEF. There will be a mix of youth, private sector and civil
society from various parts of the world on the panel, and ECPAT will be
sharing their findings from the recently conducted ICT research with
children in Africa at the meeting. Representatives of the young people
who actively took part in the survey will also be present at the meeting
to share their learning and experience.
ECPAT will also lead the session of Dynamic Coalition on Child Online
Safety at the IGF, where ECPAT is the chair. The dynamic coalition will
bring together multi-disciplinary members from various stakeholder
groups, including those from law enforcement, IT private sector,
telecommunications companies, child rights and child protection agencies,
as well as government representatives. The ECPAT program officer for ICT
and child protection will be coordinating all of ECPAT’s participation at
the IGF and will also present in a separate workshop on ‘Privacy and Children’s
Rights’, organised by eNACSO.
UNWTO conference: ‘Ist International Congress on Ethics and
Tourism’ in Madrid
On 15th and 16th September, UNWTO is organising a conference ‘Ist International Congress on
Ethics and Tourism’ to be held in Madrid, Spain. ECPAT
International’s Executive Director will be a key speaker at the event.
Compiled and edited by
Miroslav Kalniev, ECPAT International.
For further information or to include details of news or events, please
contact: Miroslav
Kalniev
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The Body Shop – ECPAT ‘Stop Sex Trafficking of Children
& Young People’ Campaign News
THANK
YOU TO ALL FOR HELPING US REACH THE GOAL!
 
New Zealand National Campaign Handover
On 16 August, The Body Shop New Zealand and Child Alert [ECPAT New
Zealand] presented 74,187 signatures to the Minister of Justice, Simon
Power. The New Zealand government announced at the event that they
planned to ratify the Optional Protocol before the end of the current
Parliament session in late September 2011! The campaign handover event
also had strong press and media coverage [radio, print and online],
including an interview by Radio New Zealand with Alan Bell, Director of
Child Alert] and the Minister, which was aired five times during the day
and has attracted an average of 536,000 listeners each week!
 
Canada National Campaign Handover
On 30 August, The Body Shop Canada and Beyond Borders [ECPAT
Canada] presented more than 570,000 petitions to the Minister of Public
Safety, Vic Toews, at the Rideau Centre. More than half a million
Canadians signed the petition that urged government to form a national
plan of action ensuring a coordinated response for the prevention of
trafficking of children and young people and the adequate provision of
protection and care services to victims. At the Canada event handover,
the Minister spoke about the government’s plans for the national plan of
action and Ms. Roz Prober spoke about the global campaign; please watch the video here
 
Thailand National Campaign Handover
On 5 September, ECPAT International and The Body Shop Thailand conducted
the national campaign handover ceremony with 65,175 petitions to the
Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Social Development and
Human Security, Ms. Sirirat Ayuwat. The petition called for the Thai
government to redouble its efforts to implement effective prevention and
protection measures against sex trafficking of children, along with
increased specialised care services for child victims and ratification of
the UN Trafficking Protocol. Ms. Ayuwat, joined by other senior
government officials from the anti-Human Trafficking Department, thanked
The Body Shop Thailand and ECPAT for the campaign, expressed their
support for the Thai government and voiced continued support for the campaign.
 
Final Campaign Event in Ukraine in Evpatoria, Crimea –
Ukraine
On 26 August, the YPP (Youth Partnership Project), which is coordinated
by Centre —La Strada-Ukraine’ (the ECPAT affiliate group in Ukraine) and
supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sport of
the Republic of Crimea, held their final campaign event in the resort
town of Crimea. The youth performed a series of ‘flash mob’ activities,
conducted two-minute youth presentations and collected signatures for the
petition, resulting in 505 additional signatures. The Ukraine YPP team
has gathered nearly 55,000 signatures! Congratulations to the YPP Ukraine
team.
 
ECPAT International's Executive Director interview in
Thailand
In August, ECPAT International's Executive Director Kathleen
Speake was interviewed in Thailand, and the interview was broadcast on
the Bangkok Podcast. The Secretariat Communications Dept has incorporated
the interview into a video slide show that showcases ECPAT's achievements
and overall objectives. The video can be watched here.
ECPAT Brazil updates
In August, ECPAT Brazil, represented by Tiana (Coordinator ECPAT Rio de
Janeiro), Ana-Lídia (Jovem Lideraça—youth leaders from Fortaleza), Vera
from ABTH (part of the ECPAT RJ network) were part of the team
presenting a pact between the public and private sector to respect human
and sexual rights in the Brazil on the first day of the annual meeting of
the Brazilian National Committee for the prevention of sexual
violence against children.
ECPAT Brazil are also currently running a three-month long course for
Social Workers to learn about ECPAT and prevention of sexual exploitation
of minors.
For other updates, please visit their social media sites:
ECPAT Brazil Blog: http://ecpat.blogspot.com
Facebook page: ECPAT Brasil
Twitter: ECPAT Brasil.
ECPAT UK opens National Training Centre in central London
ECPAT UK will offer a range of comprehensive training courses and
seminars essential for all practitioners working with children at their
new National Training Centre in central London
The National Training Centre was opened on 5 September at
its base in Victoria, London. It will offer a training programme that
will support and develop good practice in safeguarding children.
For more information on ECPAT UK training, please email trai...@ecpat.org.uk or visit ECPAT UK Training.
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India Team:
During the last week and as a regular peer support session, the ECPAT YPP
youth group conducted a workshop based on ‘The Problem Tree’. The roots
of the tree were the ‘causes’, the stem the ‘problem” and the leaves were
the ‘manifestations’.
For example, the boys from the shelter home identified ‘substance abuse/
addiction’ as one of the problems and the causes were – dysfunctional
families, peer pressure, frustrations with life due to poverty including
failure in exam, violence at home etc. The manifestations they identified
were - alienation from family and friends, involvement in theft and
illegal activities etc.
In the second round of the session, children came up with recommendations
to address some of the causes and deal with manifestations. This exercise
was done with newer groups of children within the YPP Peer Support
Programme.
 
Bangladesh Team:
On the occasion of World Youth Day, the ECPAT YPP Youth Club members
organized a drawing competition on T-shirts and held a discussion session
on the importance of the day. The programme took place in one of the
ECPAT Affiliate group, Aparajeyo‘s shelter homes in which twenty children
participated in the competition. The children/youth competitors came from
different shelter homes and education centers of Aparajeyo-Bangladesh and
partner organizations, such as INCIDIN Bangladesh, SEEP (Social &
Economic Enhancement Programme), ASD (Assistance for Slum
Dwellers), Partners Bangladesh, SUROVI School, and Padakhep Manabik Unnayan
Kendra.
The Youth Motivators and senior Peer Supporters were in the judge’s panel
who selected six drawings and the winners were awarded with a prize and a
certificate.
Moldova team:
During July, the Peer Supporters worked on designing the leaflets, fliers
and brochures. At the end of August, the expert designer sent to the
ECPAT Affiliate group, CCF Moldova the final variants of the leaflets.
Also at the end of August CCF Moldova organized a training on Project
Proposal Writing for 17 Peer Supporters from the first, second and third
years of YPP Project.
 
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