The sexual abuse and exploitation of children, including
rape and incest of youth are regional challenges that demand
urgent action. Sexual exploitation, which includes, but is not
limited to prostitution, trafficking and pornography, is also
on the rise in Asia and the Pacific. Child pornography has
seen an exponential rise due to the increase in new
technologies and the lack of laws to counter this new
phenomenon, which is often referred to violence or sexual
exploitation of children in cyberspace.
The lucrative nature of the sex industry, together with a
demand for commercial sex, puts children at continual risk of
coercion, particularly children from impoverished communities
across Asia and the Pacific.
UNESCAP works to end the sexual abuse and exploitation of
children and youth in the region, thereby contributing to the
empowerment of girls and women, which is called for in
Millenium Development Goal 3. A partnership strong between
UNICEF, ECPAT International and UNESCAP, called the
Inter-Agency Group, advocates for the development of policies
against sexual abuse and exploitation among its member states.
The group commissions research on the topic, and organizes
reviews on the implementation of the Yokohama Commitments to
combat CSEC. UNESCAP is currently working on National Plan of
Action development to combat CSEC in five Pacific Island
member states.
UNESCAP Mandates to combat CSEC At the
UNESCAP Sixty-first Session of the Commission, under Emerging
Social Issues, the Commission emphasized the importance of
renewed commitment to combating the commercial sexual
exploitation of children expressed at the Post-Yokohama
Mid-term Review of the East Asia and the Pacific Regional
Commitment and Action Plan against the Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children, held in Bangkok in November 2004. It
noted the follow-up and action plans that the Mid-term Review
had catalysed and requested the secretariat to promote and
coordinate regional initiatives on combating trafficking and
the commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls.
In ST/SGB/2005/11 Secretary-General's bulletin on
Organization of the Secretariat of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific from 29 April 2005, the
Emerging Social Issues Division is mandated to inter-alia, (b)
Conducting studies on the regional social situation and trends
and helping member States to address critical social
development issues, including those related to social policies
and integration of vulnerable groups, population and
reproductive health dynamics, migration, health and
development including health security, and gender and
development; (g) Strengthening regional cooperation and
national capabilities to promote policies and programmes for
achieving gender equality; and (h) Collecting, analysing and
disseminating information on social development issues and
programmes in the ESCAP region; all of which are related to
combating commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls,
as well as boys, in the ESCAP region.
Finally, at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to
Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for
Action and Its Regional and Global Outcomes held in Bangkok on
7-10 September 2004, members recognized the need to address
the challenges of combating continuing violation of human
rights and all forms of discrimination against women and
girls, as well as acknowledged gaps in addressing persisting
violence against women including trafficking of women and
children, in the Bangkok Communiqué adopted on 10 September
2004. |