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.