Key Text Summaries

These are some of the key texts surrounding Child Sex Slavery and Exploitation.

COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN

Youth Involved in Prostitution, Pornography, and Sex Trafficking.

Laura A. Barnitz, Youth Advocate program intl.

The sexual exploitation of children is among the most heinous crimes of humanity. This booklet attempts to explore the abolition of the practice, viewing its abolition as a social and ethical imperative. It is our responsibility as a civilized society to protect the inherent dignity and human rights of the most innocent and vulnerable among us, the children of the world. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a child is defined as any person under the age of 18. Currently, the only nations that have yet to ratify this treaty, widely held as the gold standard with respect to children’s human rights, are the United States and Somalia. Notably, Article 34 of this document states that “national governments should take all appropriate measures to prevent children from engaging in unlawful sexual activity and from being sexually exploited.”

There are many forms of sexual exploitation, but the three primary forms include prostitution, pornography, and sex trafficking. More often than not, children involved in any one of these arenas are unfortunately involved in them all. Today, the businesses that arrange child sexual exploitation are more organized and blatant in the advertising of their work than ever, as world travel and the age of information technology expands. For example, many sex-tour organizers use such phrases as “fresh young ladies” and “beautiful unspoiled girls” to denote that they have young children available for sexual services.

Further, with respect to the proliferation of child pornography, those who had previously never been interested in such material are being bombarded daily via e-mail solicitations, because mass electronic advertising is inexpensive and convenient with increasing technology. Trafficking often occurs through contracts without clear job descriptions, stating that the child is obliged to pay off his or her debts through work until the amount advanced to the parents is paid--in no uncertain terms, the practice of modern day slavery. Falsified documents and temporary visas are commonly used as well.

The impact of commercial sexual exploitation is manifold, including not only physical but also psychological trauma. Such negative health consequences include increased risk of STDs, notably HIV/AIDS infection, especially with the rising demand for younger prostitutes, with the expectation that they will be less likely to be infected. However, according to recent statistics, over 50 percent of all new HIV infections are amongst people in the 15 to 24-age bracket, with 10 percent occurring in children under the age of 15. With respect to negative psychological damage, depression, disassociation of emotions from memory, as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common consequences.

Crucial to the abolition of the child sex trade is the understanding of its supply and demand sources. Poverty and prior physical or sexual abuse are strong supply as are a lack of familial support and protection, living near tourist destinations and military bases, familial ties to the sex trade, and uncertain legal status. Members of organized crime, pimps and madams, the hospitality and tourism business, pornographers, and even, sadly, families of the victims work to create demand. Approximately 90% of the clientele are male, and most can be described as situational abusers.

Finally, in order to bring an end to the commercial sexual exploitation of children, it is imperative that a greater focus be placed on grassroots support and solidarity on appropriate public policy, domestically and internationally.

Further, intensive and detailed research with the aim of developing more reliable data on the many aspects of international commercial exploitation of children will be necessary to continue the fight.

GLOBAL ALLIANCE AGAINST FORCED LABOR

(ILO Report 2005)

The Global Alliance Against Forced Labor report, issued by the ILO in 2005, highlights the gravity of the problem of forced labor, the relevant causes to be considered, as well as areas in which the organization plans to work for the alleviation of such injustice. Early on, it brings out a number of disturbing statistics relating to the prevalence of forced labor, breaking down the numbers by region and gender, as well as with respect to profits. Important to note, however, is that the ILO figures are the most conservative estimates in the field.

According to the available statistics, 1,390,000 cases of human trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) were reported worldwide, comprising 11% of all trafficking cases. Further, CSE makes up approximately10% of all forced labor in Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Unfortunately, this pattern is far worse in transition economies and industrialized countries, with the dominant form of forced labor being CSE, accounting for 46 and 55% of such labor, respectively. The minimum estimate of trafficked individuals at any one period of time is 2.45 million individuals. Interestingly, the breakdown of prevalence of trafficked persons in Asia and the Pacific is approximately 1.36 million, while that number is 2.7 million in industrialized nations. Additionally, in industrialized nations, transition economies, and Middle East, and North African regions, the proportion of forced labor due to trafficking is greater than 75%, and is the main pathway into such labor. Significantly, the majority, 43%, of these trafficked individuals is relocated for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It is generally estimated that approximately 98% of these are women and girls, while 2% are men and boys. While it is difficult to determine the exact ages of trafficking victims, it is estimated that children account for 40-50% of all victims.

Clearly, a prime incentive for CSE trafficking is the enormous profits to be made in the business. Per laborer, industrialized nations average $67,000 each year, $23,500, $10,000, $18,200, $10,000, and $45,000 a year for transition countries, Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, respectively. It is not surprising that when considering root causes of human trafficking, poverty remains a leading factor. Trafficked persons are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of by criminals as they do not have access to financial and social capital, and must borrow from agents such as traffickers, are often not properly informed of legal occupational opportunities, frequently have origins in remote areas, and lack reliable social networks. Often, these individuals come from among the poorest countries and socio-economic status of their home country. In such common source countries in Eastern Europe as Albania, theRepublic of Moldova, Romania, and the Ukraine, a significant portion of the population live below the international poverty line, a factor which is positively correlated with rates of trafficking, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime UNODC). Additionally, in a review of 35 studies conducted in Nigeria, while many women had vocational training, they did nothave working capitol sufficient to establish small businesses, and resultantly often face sexual exploitation. Moreover, most children and young women looking to escape poverty by entering big cities are often coerced into trafficking situations due to naiveté and a lack of adequate education.

However, while poverty is a contributing factor, is surely does not stand alone. Discrimination, most notably among women, is another significant factor to be considered. In fact, the majority of forced labor victims, 58%, are women, and many are locked into the practice of debt bondage, the overwhelming majority of whom experience actual or threatened violence against their families in attempts to pressure women to remain captives. Additionally, women tend to start off in substantially less stable housing and food situations prior to migration, find it harder to establish employment, rely more heavily on intermediaries due to a greater lack of reliable information, and because bilateral trade agreements more often than not cover only male occupation. Gender and cultural aspects to be considered include arranged and forced marriages, as well as the betrayal of women posing as family friends or aunts to sexually exploitative trafficking rings. The threat of supernatural retaliation in cultures sensitive to superstitions is also a factor.
Other root causes of human trafficking involve internal trafficking as well as law enforcement and victim protection issues. Often, individuals are trafficked internally before being trafficked abroad, and are subsequently vulnerable to being forced to give away earnings and supply sexual services in exchange for night shelter. With respect to law enforcement, many countries experience weak enforcement despite new anti-trafficking legislation, in addition to low rates of prosecution and corresponding high levels of corruption. Many victims are afraid to speak out, due to fears of losing wages owed, facing the risk of deportation, and the possibility of incriminating themselves of breaking immigration and/or prostitution laws. Further, overall, law enforcement exhibits largely insufficient training in recognizing victims of forced labor. Also, while some countries have laws providing protection to sexually exploited trafficking victims, they often cover only women and children. Because of these issues, there is a need to place an emphasis on prevention, as well as better migration management. Since 2001, the ILO has established a strategic plan with action focused on such critical areas as legislation, awareness (both within the public and appropriate authorities), research and surveys (on the extent of the problem and the effectiveness of existing interventions), sustainable support and rehabilitation efforts (with an emphasis on the alleviation of poverty), as well as, of course, prevention. The last item, to be achieved through the development and support of laws, increased awareness, and further investigation into the aforementioned underlying causes, is meant to be a collaborative effort between the ILO and other NGOs working toward the same end, such as IPEC and GENPROM.

Additionally, investment into the progress of multilateral development banks, as well as the cooperation between borders of nations will become essential in the fight against trafficking. Governments must be willing not only to admit that a problem exists within their own borders, but to also work together with their neighbors to gain greater control. Community-based prevention and rehabilitation efforts were also accentuated as relevant solutions. “Operating through a local dalit organization, the project federated women’s savings and credit groups (SGGs) into cooperatives that function as micro-finance institutions, owned and managed by community members. These have disbursed over 2,500 loans to meet consumption and income generation needs. Bridge education for children, adult functional literacy, health care and awareness raising on social issues are complementary components” (78).

Another example, derived from Tamil Nadu, exhibited the power of trade unions as significant agents of change. The United Front for Rural Plantation and Construction Workers (UNIFRONT) was able to achieve a 75% increase in the daily wages of female agricultural workers in the region. The most recent action plan proposed advocates for the development of basic goals and targets, in addition to calling for a global alliance against forced labor. At the national level, this will necessitate the development of plans for appropriate legislation and enforcement, thematic issues and priorities by region, and comprehensive rehabilitation programs. Especially in the case of children, it is essential that comprehensive rehabilitation programs be developed, as without this the process of rescue and release can put these children into an even more vulnerable position, possible resulting in a relapse into forced labor or even harsher consequences.

The ILO further states, “…all countries should include provisions against trafficking and its forced labor outcomes in their criminal laws. In doing so, they should ensure that immigration and other administrative laws are adjusted accordingly, involving labor law as well as immigration experts in the drafting process. And the adoption of new anti-trafficking laws needs to be followed by intensive training programs. Moreover, an essential condition for the effective application of these laws is the establishment of protection mechanisms to encourage victims to cooperate” (84). Additionally, more direct attention towards destination countries was called for, with respect to bilateral migration agreements, information on employment opportunities abroad, and improved monitoring of public and private occupational organizations.

Finally, the document closed with a strong message for the necessity to continue the strengthening of the international community’s dedication to forced labor. “A global alliance against forced labour must now be forged, backed by adequate resources and led by the ILO, to ensure that this gross violation of the rights of women, men, girls and boys across the world is finally relegated to history” (87).