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27 January 2012
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UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child
prostitution and child pornography releases thematic report on CSEC in
disaster and emergency situations
On Dec 21st, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of
children, child prostitution and child pornography, Ms. Najat Maalla
M’jid, released a thematic report on the Protection of children from sale and sexual
exploitation following humanitarian crisis due to natural disasters.
You
can download the report here.
Five women storm into the record books with Atlantic row for
ECPAT UK
At about 8.20pm on 21 January, Row for Freedom, a five-woman rowing team
fundraising for two anti-trafficking charities (ECPAT UK and A21
Campaign), arrived in Barbados after spending 45 days crossing the
Atlantic Ocean unaided—setting two new world records.
The women were welcomed into Port St Charles Marina by
friends, family and race organisers following their 3,000-mile journey,
which begun on 7 December 2010 in the Canary Islands.
Debbie Beadle (ECPAT UK), Julia Immonen, Kate Richardson,
Katie Pattinson-Hart and Helen Leigh are now proud holders of two world
records: 'The fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an all-female
team' and 'The first five-woman team to row any ocean'.
The women have overcome many challenges throughout their
trip, including 30-ft waves, the failure of their steering system and
automatic water-making system, sea sickness, salt sores, cramp and sleep
deprivation, in order to successfully take part in the Talisker Whisky
Atlantic Challenge, known as 'the world's toughest rowing race'. More
people have climbed Everest or gone to space than have ever rowed an
ocean.
Through sheer determination and human spirit, the Row for
Freedom team, who had no previous ocean-rowing experience, crossed an
ocean that has defeated some of the world's hardiest and most experienced
adventurers – six out of 17 boats have already dropped out from the race
suffering snapped oars, capsizing and debilitating sea sickness. Please click here to read the full article.
YPP Guatemala’s
Youth Motivator interviewed in national Guatemala Newspaper
A full-page interview with Antonio Marroquín Gómez, YPP Guatemala’s Youth
Motivator who was also recently elected as the Latin American Regional
EICYAC Representative, appeared on 22 January in Prensa Libre, the most
important newspaper in the country. In this interview, which is the first
accomplishment of a wider media campaign which YPP Guatemala is implementing,
Antonio speaks about his involvement in the ECPAT YPP project, as well as
his experiences as a teenage worker and student and his dreams for the
future. To read the full article in Spanish, please click here.
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ECPAT international invited to participate in a public
symposium on child pornography/child abuse images at the Japanese Diet in
Tokyo
On 14 February, ECPAT International representatives will participate in a
public symposium on child pornography/child abuse images related issues
organized by ECPAT/STOP Japan at the Japanese Diet in Tokyo. The aim of
the symposium is to discuss the amendment of Japanese legislation
pertaining to child pornography so that it conforms to relevant
international legal standards. ECPAT International will present the
network’s position towards child pornography as well as legal expertise
focusing on issues such as the criminalisation of virtual child
pornography and the prohibition of mere possession of child pornography
in Japan.
Council of Europe – Seminar on sexual exploitation of
children
On 09 February 2012, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of
the Council of Europe will hold a seminar on combating the sexual
exploitation of children at local and regional levels within the
framework of the Council of Europe’s ‘ONE in FIVE’ Campaign to stop
sexual exploitation of children. The meeting will be held at Palais de
l’Europe in Strasbourg (France).
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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Launch of ECPAT
Legal Programme Newsletter
ECPAT is launching the first issue of its Quarterly Online Legal
Programme Newsletter. Please
click here for access (in English only).
The Body Shop – ECPAT ‘Stop Sex Trafficking of Children
& Young People’ Campaign News
Upcoming: Grand Finale to the three-year global ‘Stop Sex
Trafficking of Children and Young People’ Campaign
The final ECPAT and TBS Campaign Event and the release of the Outcome
Report will take place at the end of March 2012. The event will be held
at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok. We welcome
ECPAT groups’ ideas, input and suggestions for this important event.
Please share your media contacts with us to help ensure wide coverage on
the results of this pivotal campaign. A ‘Save the Date’ E-card and draft
agenda are being prepared for distribution shortly. Please email Mam at patchar...@ecpat.net
Thank-you!
USA Petition Handover
On 11 January, The Body Shop, together with NGO partners ECPAT USA and
the Somaly Mam Foundation handed over more than 720,000 signed American
petition signatures, calling for an end to the sex trafficking of
children and young people, to the President of the National Association
of Attorneys General, AG Rob McKenna, on National Human Trafficking
Awareness Day. For more information and pictures of the events, click here for the facebook album.
 
Second Doha Forum on the Arab Initiative for Building
National Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking in Doha, Qatar
On 16-17 January, ECPAT International’s Executive Director participated
at the Second Doha Forum on the Arab Initiative for Building National
Capacities to Combat Human Trafficking held in Doha, Qatar. The State of
Qatar places high value on respect for human rights, sustainable
development, security and stability. In the fight against human
trafficking, they have signed relevant international treaties, and in
2003, developed a national strategy to comment human trafficking and
established the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking (QFCHT).
The Qatari House for Lodging and Human Care (a shelter service for
trafficking victims) was also established. Recently (2011), Qatar enacted
the law on anti-human trafficking (No. 15).
The overall objective of the new initiative is to support target
countries to ratify and implement the UN protocol, to strengthen the
institutional and human capacities of the criminal justice systems,
improve mechanisms for the appropriate identification referral, support
and protection of trafficked victims and raise awareness about the crime and
its devastating consequences on individuals and societies. The key high
level partners in this initiative are UNODC regional office, the Arab
League, and the General Secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),
but multi-stakeholders will be engaged, such as government agencies and
services, the judiciary, criminal practitioners, prosecutors, law
enforcement, the community, private sector, academics, media, and civil
society coalitions.
  
Certified Internet Safe School project for the CIS region in
Kiev, Ukraine
On 23 January in Kiev (Ukraine), the School of Equal Opportunities
provided training for 20 school representatives, within the framework of
the ECPAT project ‘Certification of schools on safe Internet for
children’. Five schools in Kiev and five in Brovary participated in the
project. Participants discussed acceptable Internet usage policies for
Ukrainian schools. Today, only 68 (one third) of schools in Kiev have
their own Internet lines and in many of these, access is permitted only
to staff. Representatives of the management of the Regional Education
Department also participated in the training and thanked the School of
Equal Opportunities and ECPAT International for the realisation of this
important project in Ukraine.
 
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YPP Togo team
Between 20 and 23 December 2011 in Sokodé, a city in the central region
of Togo, about 300 Km from the capital Lomé, many awareness-raising
activities took place. These activities are related to the implementation
of the ECPAT YPP micro project by children and youths clubs in the
schools la Grace, Assomption and Lysoko.
The YPP Club in the Complexe Scolaire la Grace organised a media talk
show that was broadcast on three radio stations: Thaoudjo, Méridien and
Albarka. This event was intended to sensitise the population of Sokodé
and surrounding areas on the negative effects of child prostitution and
child sexual abuse. Another awareness-raising activity that was conducted
was a short play on the subject of child trafficking for commercial
purposes that was performed in several local schools.
  
Drawing competition
As a part from the follow up of the implementation of the micro projects
organised by the YPP clubs, a prize-giving ceremony and a drawing
competition on subjects related to CSEC was conducted. Four participants
received the first prize—a dictionary, a loose-leaf binder, five
notebooks of 200 pages, five notebooks of 100 pages and five pens. Seven
candidates received the consolation prize—five notebooks of 200 pages,
five notebooks of 100 pages and five pens.
  
YPP Ukraine Team
On January 16 2012 a meeting with YPP Kiev’s partners on developing a
child protection framework was conducted in Kiev. Representatives from
the administration departments of all partners of the project in Kiev,
the ECPAT Regional Associate for CIS, and YPP children and youth attended
the meeting. The programme of the meeting included a presentation on the
results of the YPP implementation of the last three years and discussion
on the development of a child protection framework. The representatives
from government bodies stressed the importance of cooperation with NGOs
in the fight against CSEC.
YPP Kyrgyzstan team: Final YPP Conference
On 26 December 2011, ECPAT YPP participants met for the final YPP
Conference in Kyrgyzstan.
The YPP team presented their annual work and results of 2011. YPP
children presented general overview of the YPP project in Kyrgyzstan in
2011, and presented an evaluation of the progress of the overall project
since 2009 and its goals and tasks.
Together with the presentations, the rewarding of winners of competition
of drawings, writing compositions and video took place within the frame
of realization of micro projects in Kyrgyzstan on the topic of ‘Children
without violence’.
 
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