Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children - The Declaration and Agenda for Action

United Nations ESCAP
HRD Section

Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children

The Declaration and Agenda for Action

The Declaration and Agenda for Action are arguably the most important outcomes of the Congress. They are tantamount to a commitment from the global community to eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Declaration calls for all States, in cooperation with national and international organizations and civil society, to:

(a) Accord high priority to action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children and to allocate adequate resources for this purpose;

(b) Promote stronger cooperation between States and all sectors of society to prevent children from entering the sex trade and to strengthen the role of families in protecting children against commercial sexual exploitation;

(c) Criminalize the commercial sexual exploitation of children and other forms of sexual exploitation of children, and to condemn and penalize all those offenders involved, whether local or foreign, while ensuring that the child victims of this practice are not penalized;

(d) Review and revise, where appropriate, laws, policies, programmes and practices to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children;

(e) Enforce laws, policies and programmes to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation and to strengthen communication and cooperation between law enforcement authorities;

(f) Promote the adoption, implementation and dissemination of laws, policies and programmes supported by relevant regional, national and local mechanisms against the commercial sexual exploitation of children;

(g) Develop and implement comprehensive gender-sensitive plans and programmes to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children, to protect and assist the child victims and to facilitate their recovery and reintegration into society;

(h) Create a climate, through education, social mobilization and development activities, to ensure that parents and others legally responsible for children are able to fulfill their rights, duties and responsibilities to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation;

(i) Mobilize political and other partners as well as national and international communities, including intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, to assist countries in eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children;

(j) Enhance the role of popular participation, including that of children, in preventing and eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

As part of the Declaration, the Agenda for Action works as a checklist of minimum guidelines for action to be taken nationally, regionally and internationally to counter the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It is suggested that by the year 2000, every country should have in place a national agenda for action with set goals and time-frames for implementation as well as a database on children vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation and their exploiters.

The Declaration and Agenda for Action are particularly supportive of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and refer to this treaty and other international instruments which have a bearing on children and their families.

Mr Muntarbhorn stated that the real test of follow-up to the Congress would be at the regional, national and local levels, and he recommended that action at those levels should include:

(a) Plans of action and child-friendly, gender-sensitive programmes and measures to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children;

(b) Preparation of national/regional reports concerning the implementation of the Declaration and Agenda for Action;

(c) Mechanisms/focal points and mobilization of personnel or communities as watchdogs against the commercial sexual exploitation of children;

(d) Faster gathering and reporting of information to ensure that children are protected;

(e) Partnership-building, networking and capacity-building by governments, NGOs, the business community, the media, community and political leaders, families and children to counter the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

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