ESCAP Resolution on elimination of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and youth in Asia and the Pacific

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

Bearing in mind that States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child agreed to take action to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse,

Taking note of the recommendation of the Asia-Pacific Meeting on Human Resources Development for Youth, convened by ESCAP in cooperation with the Government of China, in Beijing in October 1996, which called upon the secretariat to promote regional cooperation in eliminating the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of youth in the Asian and Pacific region,

Recalling that the World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held in Stockholm in August 1996, gave its commitment to mobilize national and international communities, including intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, to assist countries in eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children,

Considering the high priority accorded to action against the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth in the Declaration and Agenda for Action of the World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children,

Noting with concern that while prostitution and trafficking in children and youth are illegal and deemed immoral in many countries, the practice continues unabated,

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Taking note of the findings from the preparatory work for the Stockholm World Congress that sexual exploitation of children and youth by tourists and others can in some cases be highly organized and extremely profitable while carrying only low risks of prosecution and punishment,

Acknowledging the relevant activities being undertaken by other forums to address various aspects of the sexual exploitation of children and youth, including in the context of efforts to combat exploitative forms of child labour and the drafting of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sexual exploitation of children,

Also acknowledging the difficulty in obtaining accurate data on the extent and nature of the practice, given its illegal and socially unacceptable nature,

Underscoring the indubitably harmful effects of prostitution on every aspect of a child's and a youth's development, family values and cultural mores,

Recognizing the risk to young commercial sex workers of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS,

1. Encourages member and associate member Governments:

(a) To mobilize their agencies and members of civil society in combating the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children and youth in their respective countries and in tourist destinations;

(b) To suggest areas for technical cooperation programme development and implementation, including enforcement practices in relation to combating prostitution and trafficking in children and youth;

(c) To encourage the tourism industry in their respective countries to adopt the necessary mechanisms to prevent sex tourism involving child and youth;

(d) To pay great attention to the deterrence and punishment of sexual exploiters of children and youth; under the principle that a crime against a child anywhere should be a crime everywhere, as contained in the Amsterdam Declaration on Child Labour, all member states should ensure that sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and youth are never tolerated and should take action to prosecute sexual exploiters of children and youth where the crime is committed;

(e) To implement programmes and projects that take into account the best interests of children and youth and promote the protection of their rights, in accordance with international standards and agreements;

2. Encourages donor governments and agencies to fund projects that seek to prevent the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children and youth and assist young victims of such exploitation and abuse in reintegrating into communities and families, obtaining access to relevant education, health and social services, and developing skills for alternative means of livelihood;

3. Requests the Executive Secretary:

(a) To consider making an inventory of data on the commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children and youth in the region, the extent and measures taken to stop the practice, and the range of health and social services available to them, with the aim of identifying gaps in research and practice, and thereby facilitating regional and intercountry cooperation;

(b) To sensitize and promote awareness among government personnel and other members of civil society, including youth non-governmental organizations and the private sector, about the situation of sexually exploited and sexually abused children and youth, with a view to supporting human resources development policies and programmes to improve access to relevant health and social services, education and training, and employment;

(c) To enhance the capabilities of social service and health personnel, through relevant gender-sensitive training, in assisting young victims and potential victims of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in being reintegrated into society;

(d) To coordinate its activities in this field closely with other United Nations bodies, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations Working Group on a Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on Sexual Exploitation of Children, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Children's Fund and the International Labour Organization, in order to avoid duplication;

(e) To report to the Commission at its fifty-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

30 April 1997