NCJ Number
196817
Date Published
November 2001
Length
41 pages
Annotation
In this document children who have been sexually abused and exploited for profit describe their experiences and feelings, and informed authorities on child sexual abuse and exploitation discuss various issues associated with such victimization.
Abstract
President Arroyo of the Philippines describes the national and local initiatives in place in her country to stop the sexual exploitation of children. The Roman Catholic Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations Office in Geneva presents an essay on a priest's efforts to help young women who have been trafficked to Italy from Nigeria. In another essay, two leading authorities discuss the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a comprehensive bill introduced in the United States in October 2000. It is designed to help Federal law enforcement officials track down and prosecute traffickers in children. Examples are provided from other countries to show how vital comprehensive legislation is in combating child sexual abuse and exploitation. In other sections, youth describe how they became involved in the sex trade, how they feel about their experiences, what they need, what they fear, and what they hope for their lives. An essay on trafficking describes the experiences of youth who have been sexually abused and exploited; and it explains how two non-governmental organizations are helping children who have been trafficked to Greece reintegrate into schools in four Albanian cities. Another essay describes how a non-governmental organization in Kenya uses peer educators to reach out to teenage girls who are about to enter or are in the early stages of commercial sex work. The concluding essay describes the groundwork of legislation and public education being laid in the Dominican Republic to hold accountable those people who profit from the sexual exploitation of children and youth and make the public aware of the harmful effects of child abuse and sexual exploitation. This booklet notes that the most effective responses to child sexual abuse take into account specific local and regional factors and include an understanding of the various ways in which children are exploited, the places where they are exploited, the methods used to recruit the children, and the procedures used to retain them.