WUNRN
COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF
CHILDREN - THE GIRL CHILD
ECPAT International
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT THE
COMMERCIAL
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF
CHILDREN - 4th Edition
Direct Link to Full 44-Page ECPAT
Publication:
Examples of Contents:
*What is Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children?
*Prostitution of Children
*Child Pornography
*Trafficking in Children
*Child Sex Tourism
*Child Marriage
*What Makes Children Vulnerable?
*How Widespread is Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children?
WHO IS A CHILD? - AGE OF CONSENT -
THE GIRL CHILD - PROTECTION
"Article 1 of the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that a child is a person
below the age of 18, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under the
national law applicable to the child. As such, 18 has become the age for
determining childhood among the international child rights NGO community.
However, there are states/countries
in which children are considered adults before 18 years of age or where
protection measures do not apply through to 18. Different laws may provide
for different ages of majority, with significant variations within and across
jurisdictions. When a state establishes a low age of majority - 14 for example
- one of the most direct consequences is that those persons between 14 and 18
are likely excluded from the scope of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
because they will not be considered as 'children.'
Where ages other than 18 are used to
define a child, protection of children from sexual exploitation and related
forms of violence, become more difficult. This is especially true when children
cross international borders and may not be subject to the equivalent levels of
protection between states.
The age of sexual consent refers to
the time at which a person is considered legally able to engage in sexual
activity. The age of consent varies from country to country - and even within a
country. It may also differ between genders, typically higher for males than
for females, where legislation does not guarantee equal rights to men and
women. Conversely, many of the laws which some countries have to protect
children from sexual exploitation, only address the issue in relation to girls'
exploitation, while the sexual exploitation of boys is generally ignored.
While there is no international
consensus on what constitutes an appropriate age of sexual consent (It
currently varies from 12 to 18.), low ages of sexual consent increase children
's vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation.
In countries where the age sexual
consent is low, children who have reached that age are particularly vulnerable
to abuse and exploitation, especially when there are no legal provisions that
define and prohibit child sexual exploitation in prostitution and pornography.
Children can never consent to being
exploited and abused. It is therefore important that countries with low ages of
sexual consent amend their laws to raise that age, and that laws on sexual
exploitation of children protect all children up to the age of 18, irrespective
of the age of sexual consent.
The legal definition of a child also
affects how offenders are dealt with by the courts. In some instances, social
acceptance may affect the attitudes and approach of law enforcement and
judicial officers with the result that abuses are considered 'less serious' and
little action is taken."
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