HONDURAS: Lessons Learnt in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Summary: This case study is part of a compilation by Save the Children UK of lessons learnt in contributing to a national rights-based legal and policy framework for children. Similar reports for Bulgaria and Egypt will be made available on the CRIN website in the coming months.Save the Children UK’s programme in Central American and the Caribbean, created in 1974, has contributed to a national child rights framework, leading to dramatic changes for children and young people. The programme closed in March 2007, and its legacy continues through Save the Children’s partners through out the region.

This is a record of lessons learnt, challenges identified and recommendations made from Save the Children’s experiences over the last five years for all those involved in child rights and development work.

Commerical Sexual Exploitation in Honduras

This programme consisted of supporting Honduran counterparts in the creation of both legal and operational frameworks to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of Honduran children. The effort involved a range of citizens, from community promoters and local child rights advocates to the president of the country’s Supreme Court.

Lessons learnt:

• Conduct awareness raising among male officials and justice system operators
  Train reporters about child protection issues involved and the media’s role in educating the general public.
• Empower national actors to draw attention to the issue.
• Analyse the phenomenon and existing institutional capacities to deal with it to establish a baseline from which progress can be measured.
• Confront cultures of secrecy where victims are afraid to speak out. The community has an important role to play in demanding that the local justice system sees these cases through.
• Ensure child participation; community level work that uses schools and school advocates to engage child participation is more effective when it includes a component aimed at involving the children’s parents.

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