WUNRN
REPORT OF SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON SALE
OF CHILDREN, CHILD PROSTITUTION & CHILD PORNOGRAPHY TO UN 2012 - NATURAL
DISASTERS
CONSIDER FOR GIRLS &
NATURAL DISASTERS
3. Children’s vulnerability to sale,
trafficking and all forms of exploitation in a natural disaster
27. Children’s vulnerability to sale and
other forms of exploitation is increased in a natural disaster. Some people
exploit the chaotic environment that follows a natural disaster to engage in
criminal activities, such as selling children for the purposes of illegal
adoption, forced labour or sexual exploitation. The situation enables them to
circumvent national and international standards and remove children from their
communities or the national territory. Furthermore, the collapse or absence of
a State system during and after an emergency often results in a protection
vacuum for children who may become separated from their families
28. Natural disasters destroy or disrupt the
normal conditions of life and the care of children and can, in turn, disrupt,
deny and delay the realization of their rights. In such situations, children
are more likely to be unidentified, hastily fostered, adopted or placed in
long-term care institutions, without the possibility of tracing their families,
reunification or safe return. Their vulnerability increases their risk to sale,
sexual and other forms of exploitation as they may be inappropriately and/or
illegally removed from their communities – sometimes by well-meaning individuals
who wish to ensure their safety, or by those seeking to profit from the chaos.16
29. The consequences of a natural disaster
can destabilize the cultural and legal norms in place to protect children. As a
result, children in a natural disaster face increased risk of all forms of
exploitation, including by those who are known to them, such as persons from
their community or family members. Rape, sexual abuse, trafficking and
separation from family are common phenomena in crisis situations, and violence
often takes place in a culture of acceptance and impunity.