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THE GIRL CHILD

 

http://www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/model_plan2.asp

 

MODEL NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION AGAINST COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN (CSEC)

 

The making of such a National Plan of Action Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, requires governmental and child-care agencies concerned with the protection of children to get together and analyse the situation for children in their country, to find out what needs to be done and to design strategies to fill the needs.

ECPAT International has developed a Model National Plan of Action, this may be used by governments which have made a commitment to implement the Agenda for Action. It should also be useful for non governmental organisations when lobbying governments for a National Plan. It can help to identify gaps in existing governmental programmes and initiatives. The Plan focuses on all factors which may lead to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) such as low self esteem among girls and boys, sexual abuse in the family, drug and substance abuse, consumerism, deteriorating family values and poverty.

 

 

This Model Plan is presented in a table format. The first column indicates some of the objectives to be achieved. The second column lists some of the activities, but it is not an exhaustive list. The third column indicates who some of the actors would be in implementing the activities. The last column gives a list of possible indicators of achievement; again this is not an exhaustive list. This last column is very important in order to gauge the level of success of the activities individually and of the Plan as a whole.

This model Plan does not present an exhaustive list of all parties or activities. Recognizing that different governmental structures exist around the world, we have used the word ministry as a rather generic term to include all government departments and agencies involved directly in the issues surrounding CSEC. Support and cooperation in all activities are required by all government agencies, IGOs, NGOs, CBOs and the communities in order to achieve the full implementation of the Plan and the end of commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Countries are urged before embarking on the implementation of the Plan to clarify their policies and existing legal frameworks aimed at combating CSEC and to identify the causes and factors which lead children, both boys and girls, to be vulnerable to CSEC. The Plan is useful to all sectors and stakeholders alike to fully implement laws and regulations against trafficking, pornography, and sexual abuse of children.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES
OF
ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT
  1. To identify ongoing causes of vulnerability and patterns of exploitation among girls and boys experiencing CSE and gaps in existing legislation, policies and services that protect children.
  1. Conduct research on causes of vulnerability.
  2. Conduct research on incidence and patterns of exploitation.
  3. Produce, collect and circulate relevant research reports, statistics and information from conferences, relevant government agencies, IGOs, NGOs, and CBOs dealing with CSEC.
  4. Regular updates on the situation of CSEC.
  5. Complete a national assessment of policies and legislation, which address CSEC.
  6. Identify gaps in existing structures, policies and legislation and make proposals to close them.
  7. Report to Committee on Rights of the Child on national implementation of the Convention on Rights of the Child [CRC] including a section on CSEC in the report.
  8. Allocate specific funds and resources in national budget to combat CSEC.
  • Ministries (e.g. Social Welfare, Justice, Finance)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police)
  • UN agencies(UNDP, ILO, UNICEF)
  • IGOs (WTO, IOM)
  • NGOs and intersectoral committee to monitor the progress of the action plan
  • CBOs
  1. Clear identification of the causes of vulnerability and patterns of CSEC within country.
  2. Established and successful resource center on CSEC issues.
  3. National appraisal of laws and policies completed.
  4. Gaps in policies, structures and legislation identified and strategy to overcome them developed.
  5. Enactment of clear policy guidelines on CSEC.
  6. Allocation of funds and resources towards the elimination of CSEC.
  7. Regular reports to the Committee on CRC by both government and NGOs with a section on CSEC.
  1. To ensure public, political, community and official awareness of child abuse and CSEC.
  1. Raise awareness among politicians and community leaders as well as the general public through information sharing and information campaigns.
  2. Ensure wide media coverage on the issue of CSEC.
  3. Sensitise travellers on relevant laws including information on extraterritorial jurisdiction.
  4. Include awareness about CSEC and guidelines for prevention and action in tourism and travel personnel training.
  5. Provide information to travellers against child sex tourism.
  6. Set travel and tourism industry standards.
  7. Encourage non-stigmitisation of victims.
  • Ministries (e.g. Social Welfare, Tourism, Justice)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police)
  • Media
  • Community leaders
  • Political parties
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  1. Increased levels of awareness on CSEC issues of the public, politicians, government officials and the community.
  2. Active media coverage of CSEC issues.
  3. Information and campaign tools against child sex tourism, e.g. posters, leaflets, in-flight videos, etc.
  4. Increased general awareness among tourists on extraterritorial effect of legislation on child sex abuse.
  5. Education component in tourism schools.
  6. Codes of Conduct for travel and tourism industry in place and followed.

 

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

3. To ensure international cooperation and coordination in prosecution of offenders and protection of children.
  1. Pass legislation to give extraterritorial jurisdiction for sexual offences against and trafficking of minors.
  2. Make extradition treaties for cases relating to child sexual exploitation or trafficking.
  3. Make bilateral/multilateral arrangements with countries from or to which children are trafficked to prevent trafficking of children and ensure safe return of trafficked children.
  4. Provide monitoring systems to ensure that trafficked children returned to their own homes and countries are safe.
  5. Ensure national police representation on INTERPOL Standing Working Party on Offences (SWP) Against Minors.
  6. Nominate a national INTERPOL focal point for inquiries and reporting.
  7. Increase communication and cooperation between prosecutors and police forces in sending and receiving countries.
  8. Increase information shared between countries to close down trafficking routes.
  9. Train relevant embassy staff to assist in tracing offenders and missing children and to provide an adequate information service to prosecuting authorities.
  10. Ensure mandate of police liaison officers stationed abroad includes offences against children.
  • Ministries (e.g. Foreign Affairs, Justice, Immigration, Customs)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police)
  • Legislative bodies
  • UN agencies (UNDP, ILO, UNHCHR)
  • IGOs (INTERPOL, IOM)
  • NGOs
  1. Extraterritorial legislation against child sexual abuse.
  2. Policies and international treaties for extradition of child sex offenders.
  3. Local, international/multilateral arrangements for return of trafficked children to their homes with monitoring provisions.
  4. Active police representation on INTERPOL SWP.
  5. Embassy staff trained in providing mutual legal assistance.
  6. Police liaison officers mandated to deal with CSEC related issues.

 

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

4. Ensure that there are comprehensive laws that cover all aspects of CSEC.
  1. Criminalise all forms of abusing children through prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes, including penalties for exploiters, procurers, brothel owners and parents who sell their children.
  2. Criminalise all aspects of child pornography including pseudo pornography, its production, distribution and possession.
  3. Ensure that legislation reflects the child as a victim and not as a criminal by making 18 the age of protection against all forms of sexual exploitation.
  4. Ensure legislation protects girls and boys equally.
  5. Rather than following the "innocent till proven guilty" concept, require that an accused, against whom an allegation of child sexual exploitation is made, justifies their connection to the child.
  • Ministries (e.g. Justice, Attorney General)
  • Legislative bodies
  • Bar councils and/or societies
  1. Legislative enactment criminalising all forms of abuse of children through prostitution, trafficking of children and child pornography.
  2. The legal age of protection against CSEC is 18 for both girls and boys.
  3. No gender bias in laws.

5. Enforcement of laws to protect children from CSEC.
  1. Indicate political commitment to enforcement of laws.
  2. Train law enforcement officials to investigate and charge child sexual abuse cases while respecting the best interests of the child.
  3. Create specialized and properly resourced child protection units in the police to deal with child victims with proactive powers of investigation and rescue.
  4. Create specialised police units for proactive detection and prosecution of makers, distributors, and possessors of child pornography.
  5. Prosecute all law enforcement officials involved in or aiding child sexual exploitation including the acceptance of bribes.
  6. Monitor movements and share information on convicted child sex offenders via INTERPOL or directly with foreign police and immigration authorities.
  7. Train passport control officials and immigration authorities to identify child sex offenders and take appropriate action.
  8. Train passport control officials and immigration authorities to identify children at risk and take appropriate action.
  9. Include information on convictions obtained abroad in record of offender.
  10. Prosecute traffickers, their clients and those who assist them.
  11. Close down trafficking routes and systems by using information/intelligence gathered from those who have been exploited.
  • Ministries (e.g. Justice, Social Welfare, Attorney General, Foreign Affairs, Immigration)
  • Local government
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Judiciary, Police, Customs)
  • UN agencies (e.g. ILO, UNHCHR)
  • Bar councils and/or societies
  • Tourism and travel industry
  • IGOs (e.g. INTERPOL, WTO)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Legal aid clinics
  • Child victims of trafficking
  1. Public statements by government making clear commitment to enforcement of laws.
  2. Successful investigations and increased convictions of child sex abusers and traffickers.
  3. Specialized police units established and functioning.
  4. Police training modules developed and used.
  5. Prosecution of corrupt officials.
  6. Inservice training to passport control officials and immigration.
  7. Police procedures in place to monitor movements of convicted offenders.
  8. Procedures in place to record foreign as well as national convictions against child sex offenders.
  9. Training modules for officials developed and used.
  10. Trafficking routes detected and closed.
  11. Monitoring system in place for known trafficking routes.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

6. To ensure that children are not victimised by the legal system.
  1. Educate judicial personnel, prosecutors and police on laws, policies and attitudes to combat CSEC.
  2. Develop child friendly and culturally sensitive legal procedures, rules of evidence and prosecution guidelines for prosecuting sexual offences committed against children.
  3. Provide legal assistance, social welfare care and support services for child victims.
  • Ministries (e.g. Justice, Social Welfare, Attorney General)
  • Local government
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Judiciary, Police)
  • Bar councils and/or societies
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Legal aid clinics
  1. Workshops and inservice courses attended by judicial personnel, prosecutors and police on new legislation, attitudes and policies on CSEC.
  2. Evidential rules to ease acceptance of evidence by child victims in place and in use.
  3. Child friendly and culturally sensitive prosecution guidelines in place and in use.
  4. Legal aid clinics providing services to sexually exploited children.
  5. Accessible social welfare service points for child victims.
  6. Provision of transport, visa and support arrangements for children abused in another country assisting them to testify.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

7. To reduce factors that make children vulnerable to CSEC.
  1. Provide vocational and life skills training and/or non-formal education for children who leave the regular school system.
  2. Provide viable income generation programs for families of children at risk.
  3. Promote programs at grassroots level to tackle poverty and unemployment.
  4. Provide programmes to educate children of the dangers of drug and substance abuse.
  5. Ensure that laws, policies and practices do not discriminate against children of ethnic minorities.
  6. Promote understanding of special needs of children with functional disabilities.
  • Ministries (e.g. Health, Education, Social Welfare, Justice)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police, Judiciary)
  • UN agencies (e.g. UNICEF)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Parents/guardians
  • Teachers
  • Community leaders
  • Children
  1. Established vocational training centers.
  2. Constant use of peer education programs on the dangers and effects of CSEC.
  3. Reduction in numbers of children in the sex trade.
  4. Reduction of drug and substance abuse incidences among children of school going age.
  5. Non-discriminatory laws, polices and practices in place.
  6. Awareness of non-discriminatory issues.

8. To ensure that children are educated to protect themselves against CSEC.
  1. Provide compulsory universal free primary education for all children regardless of nationality or ethnic background.
  2. Encourage and promote school enrollment, particularly among groups with low levels of school attendance.
  3. Train school staff on CSEC focusing on prevention and protection.
  4. Ensure curriculum content on CRC with focus on articles 34 and 35.
  5. Provide after-school, extracurricular and personal development programmes for children at risk to counter factors that make them vulnerable.
  6. Provide programmes on sexual abuse and exploitation for all children appropriate to their age.
  7. Encourage teachers to report suspicions of child sexual abuse.
  8. Check employees who work with children for previous sex offences against children and bar them from working with children.
  • Ministries (e.g. Education, Finance Youth, Social Welfare, Justice, Employment)
  • Curriculum development authorities
  • Teachers
  • Parents
  • Peer educators
  • CBOs
  • Police
  • Children
  1. 100% attendance at school by all primary school aged children.
  2. Increase in levels of educational achievement of children in deprived communities.
  3. Increased awareness and participation of teachers on prevention of sexual abuse.
  4. Curriculum content on child rights in all primary schools.
  5. “Stay Safe” programs in all primary schools.
  6. Fewer children vulnerable to exploitation.
  7. Established system for reporting and investigating suspected child sex abuse.
  8. Registry of sex offenders.
  9. Legal entitlement for organisations working with children to check criminal records of prospective employees.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

9. To prevent computer literate children from being sexually exploited.
  1. Develop and promote an internet use policy for children (e.g. Net Smart rules).
  2. Provide information about suitable filtering software for parents and teachers.
  3. Develop cooperation strategies between law enforcement agencies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block, remove, report and prosecute illegal content.
  4. Develop codes of conduct for ISPs
  • Ministries (e.g. Education, Justice, Interior, Home)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Attorney General, Judiciary, Police)
  • Internet Service Providers
  • Software developers
  • NGOs
  1. NetSmart rules widely available.
  2. Increased use of filtering software.
  3. Cooperation arrangements between ISPs and police in place to block illegal content
  4. Monitoring of activities of ISPs
  5. Strict Code of Conduct to be followed by ISPs.

10. To provide health care and sex education for young people.
  1. Provide free and accessible health care for children.
  2. Train medical professionals in identifying cases of sexual abuse and reporting it.
  3. Provide age appropriate information on sexual relationships, gender sensitivity, and STD prevention in schools, clinics or through community based activities.
  • Ministries (e.g. Health, Social Welfare, Education, Finance)
  • Other government agencies
  • UN agencies, (e.g. UNICEF, WHO)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Teachers
  • Parents/guardians
  • Peer educators
  1. Infrastructure and resources in place supporting free health care for children.
  2. Increased awareness of sexual abuse among medical professionals.
  3. System for reporting abuse in place.
  4. Improved knowledge of sexual relationships and risks among young people.
  5. Reduction of incidences of STDs among young people.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

11. To encourage community understanding of the rights of the child especially protection and prevention of CSEC.
  1. Conduct community education programs which promote the rights and importance of children.
  2. Educate and mobilize parents and communities against CSEC in all its relevant forms e.g. sale of children, child marriage, etc., and discourage sale and trade of children for financial gain.
  3. Establish monitoring systems for children at risk.
  • Ministries (e.g. Social Welfare, Education, Justice)
  • Other government agencies
  • UN agencies, (e.g. UNICEF)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Teachers
  • Parents/guardians
  • Peer educators
  • Community leaders
  1. Positive change in values and attitudes among communities where sale of children is widespread.
  2. Reduction in child marriages,
  3. Reduction of the incidence of sexually exploited children.

12. To provide services to rescue and protect children from CSEC.
  1. Provide accessible complaint mechanisms for children to seek assistance e.g. telephone hotlines, rural focal points, etc.
  2. Provide mechanism for public reporting on suspected child abusers e.g. police hotlines, etc.
  3. Provide safe shelters for street children and other children at risk of sexual exploitation.
  4. Provide information to officials, care givers and NGOs working with abused children on the services available and the location of such services e.g. shelters.
  5. Train personnel who work with children in gender sensitivity and child friendly procedures.
  6. Develop cooperation and networking between civil society, NGOs and law enforcement agencies to identify and rescue children trapped in commercial sex work.
  • Ministries (e.g. Health, Social Welfare, Finance)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police)
  • UN agencies (e.g. UNICEF)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Community leaders
  • Teachers
  • Parents/guardians
  1. Accessible complaint mechanisms developed.
  2. Police hotline for reporting suspicious cases in place.
  3. Infrastructure and resources in place to provide shelter for children at risk.
  4. Knowledge of services available for abused children widespread.
  5. Component on gender sensitivity and child friendly procedures in personnel training of social services.
  6. Increased incidences of children rescued from exploitation.
  7. Regular meetings and exchanges of information between NGOs and law enforcement agencies.

OBJECTIVES

TYPES OF

ACTIVITIES

PROBABLE

ACTORS

INDICATORS OF

ACHIEVEMENT

13. To enable children who have experienced CSEC to recover and reintegrate.
  1. Provide psycho-social counseling for child victims and their families.
  2. Provide alternative schooling for child victims.
  3. Educate families and communities not to stigmatise or blame child victims.
  4. Establish alternative income sources for children rescued from CSE and their families.
  5. Provide alternative settlement programs for children who choose not to return home.
  6. Enable victims to claim and extract compensation from their exploiters, and arrange for unbiased supervision of any monies obtained by the victim.
  • Ministries (e.g. Justice, Social Welfare, Education)
  • Other government agencies (e.g. Police, Judiciary)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Community leaders
  • Child victims
  1. Infrastructure and resources available to support child counseling programs and other aspects of recovery.
  2. Special schools component for child victims.
  3. Increased awareness and understanding of factors that make children vulnerable to exploitation by families and community members.
  4. Alternative income sources available.
  5. Programmes in place to support children not living at home.
  6. Legislation in place to facilitate compensation.

14. To encourage age appropriate child participation.
  1. Identify and establish support networks of children and young people as advocates and peer educators of child rights.
  2. Encourage children to identify ways to stop CSEC and incorporate their suggestions into plans and programmes at all levels.
  • Ministries (e.g. Education, Social Welfare)
  • UN agencies (e.g. UNICEF, UNDP)
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
  • Parents/guardians
  • Children
  1. Mechanisms for including young peoples’ views in programs affecting children.
  2. Peer education programmes in place.

 

Glossary:

 

CSE:

 

commercial sexual exploitation

 

 

CSEC:

 

commercial sexual exploitation of children

 

 

CBOs:

 

community based organisations

 

 

CRC:

 

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

 

 

IGOs:

 

inter-governmental organisations

 

 

ILO:

 

International Labor Organization

 

 

INTERPOL:

 

International Criminal Police Organization

 

 

IOM:

 

International Organization of Migration

 

 

ISP:

 

Internet Service Provider

 

 

NGOs:

 

non-governmental organisations

 

 

SWP:

 

INTERPOL's Standing Working Party on Offences Against Minors

 

 

UN:

 

United Nations

 

 

UNDP:

 

United Nations Development Program

 

 

UNHCHR:

 

United Nations High Commission for Human Rights

 

 

UNICEF:

 

United Nations International Children's Fund

 

 

WHO:

 

World Health Organization

 

 

WTO:

 

World Tourism Organization

 

 





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