UN Special Rapporteur on Sale of Children presents report to Human Rights Council

Friday, 22nd September 2006 - The Council has before it a report (E/CN.4/2006/67) entitled report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, by Juan Miguel Petit, which deals with the demand factor in the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Noting that little attention has been given so far to the demand factor in the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and convinced of the importance of studying and understanding its dynamics in order to develop proper and efficient legal and political policies, the Special Rapporteur has decided to devote his annual report to this issue.

The report is based on information received from Governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and individuals in response to a questionnaire sent jointly with the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. It reflects the responses received from 28 countries, from several intergovernmental organisations and from various non-governmental organisations and individuals.

This report does not pretend to give a comprehensive analysis of the different forms demand can take, but rather highlights the divergent understandings of what may constitute demand, gives an overview of the main factors which tend to create or increase demand for commercial sexual exploitation, and outlines experiences conducted both by the State and civil society to reduce demand.

Presentation of Report on Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography

Juan Miguel Petit, said the first level of the conceptual framework in which he positioned his work on children’s rights was the human rights of every human being, which could only be protected in a democratic system: democracy was not the solution, but it was the only model in which solutions to problems could be discussed. In addition to this, there was recognition of children’s rights and the different tools, from legal instruments up to social policies to ensure protection and assistance. Finally, there were the different topics in which these rights had to be implemented: therefore, the combat against sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography needed democratic and transparent institutions on one hand, and effective and creative social policies and protection networks on the other. Both aspects complemented and enriched mutually. There were no children’s rights without democracy, and democracy without protection to its most vulnerable members made no sense.

Mr. Petit had carried out two field missions, to Albania and to Greece. The aim of these missions was to acquire a better understanding of the transnational elements of the phenomena of child trafficking and migration flows of unaccompanied children. He was pleased that more than 10 countries had recently ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in 2005. There had also been some initiatives taken over the year to fight child sex tourism. During 2005, he had transmitted 34 communications to the Governments of 25 countries concerning individual cases and general situations, and by the end of 2005, only four responses to these had been received.

Noting that little attention had been given so far to the demand factor in the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and convinced of the importance of studying and understanding its dynamics in order to develop proper and efficient legal and political policies, Mr. Petit had decided to devote his annual report to this issue. The report was aimed at highlighting the divergent understandings of what could constitute demand, giving an overview of the main factors, which tended to create or increase demand for commercial sexual exploitation, and outlining experiences conducted both by the State and civil society to reduce demand. The only way of preventing trafficking and exploitation was ensuring total transparency to the so-called “sex market”, clear rules to avoid mafias, and all kinds of exploitation, and to ensure creative reintegrative programmes for the victims and all the sex workers that wished to abandon the activity. The main struggle that had to be overcome was a cultural one: only when in the minds and hearts of every person the idea of respect and care of other human beings predominated, would all sleep peacefully knowing that the nightmares of violations of children’s rights was a thing of the past.

Further information

• Report - E/CN.4/2006/67
• Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography visits Greece (November 2005)
• Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography visits Albania (November 2005)
• Website of the Special Rapporteur's office