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.
|